Mishap averted as IndiGo, Spicjet aircraft come face-to-face at IGI airport

IndiGo flight had reportedly arrived from Lucknow and the Spicejet flight was about to take off

An accident was averted at the Delhi airport on Tuesday morning as an IndiGo and a SpiceJet aircraft came face-to-face on the runway, reported ANI. 

The IndiGo flight had reportedly just arrived from Lucknow and the Spicejet flight was about to take off when the two aircraft came dangerously close.

Reports said that an initial assessment revealed a miscommunication with the Air Trafic Control Tower.

"SpiceJet flight SG123 operating Delhi-Hyderabad was following ATC instructions at all time at the Delhi airport. While taxiing, the SpiceJet crew observed another aircraft on the same taxiway in the opposite direction. Acting promptly, the SpiceJet crew immediately stopped the aircraft and intimated the ATC. Safety is of utmost and primary concern at SpiceJet. At no stage the safety of passengers, crew and aircraft was compromised. All concerned authorities were immediately informed," the airline said in a statement. 
 

Over, 35 'near-miss' incidents involving aircraft of various airlines have been reported in Indian airspace between January 2015 and March this year.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha in May this year, then minister of state for civil aviation Mahesh Sharma had said that 10 near-miss incidents involving aircraft had occurred in Indian airspace in 2016, till the end of March. 

The figure for 2015 stood at 25. 

The Airprox Investigation Board, constituted by DGCA, probes all such incidents, after which these investigations are reviewed at the DGCA.