New Delhi: A mid-air collision between two IndiGo aircrafts, taking off from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), was averted earlier this month.
According to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials, as reported by The Hindu, the incident took place on January 7, when two IndiGo aircrafts, 6E 455 departing for Kolkata and 6E 246 for Bhubaneswar, were given the permission to depart at the same time.
The Kempegowda International Airport has two runways, north and south. At any given time, it is not feasible for both of them to be used for flight departures simultaneously due to risk of collisions.
On the day of the incident, the north runway was being used for departures while the south runway was used for arrivals. Later, the shift in-charge decided to close the south runway, but failed to inform the air traffic controller of the south tower, as a result of which both the IndiGo flights were given permission to depart from both the runways at the same time, said a senior official of the DGCA while speaking to The Hindu.
The simultaneous departures led to a situation where both the aircrafts moving in the same direction were about to collide with each other, However, a radar controller saw this and intervened immediately to alert the aircraft, thereby averting the accident.
Taking cognizance of the matter, a team under DGCA Director General Arun Kumar has been constituted for a thorough investigation of the alleged security breach.
"We are investigating and shall take the strictest action against those found delinquent," Mr Kumar told news agency ANI.
IndiGo Airlines, however, declined to comment on the matter.