Air India, Air India Express planes face off on Mumbai airport runway
Two Air India and Air India Express aircraft came face-to-face on the same runway at Mumbai airport on Tuesday evening after an Air India flight
Two Air India and Air India Express aircraft came face-to-face on the same runway at Mumbai airport on Tuesday evening after an Air India flight aborted its take-off run on the instructions of the air traffic controller, averting a possible disaster, news agency PTI reported citing sources. The incident occurred at around 10 pm when the Air India Express aircraft had not yet vacated the runway after landing, while the Delhi-bound Air India flight was preparing for take-off from the same runway, the sources said.
Read Full Story The Air India flight, AI816 from Mumbai to Delhi, was scheduled to operate with a wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The Air India Express flight, AIX1547, landed from Siliguri and was operated with a narrow-body Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, according to the sources. In a statement, an Air India spokesperson confirmed that the take-off run was aborted following instructions from the air traffic controller.
"The crew operating flight AI816 from Mumbai to Delhi on July 7 discontinued the take-off run after receiving an instruction to do so from the Air Traffic Control and returned to the bay," the spokesperson said. A take-off run refers to the phase during which an aircraft rolls on the runway before reaching take-off speed. The spokesperson said the aircraft would undergo the necessary checks in accordance with standard operating procedures.
Air India also said it was making alternative arrangements to fly the passengers to their destination at the earliest. The airline did not disclose specific details about the incident. The number of passengers on board the two aircraft could not be immediately ascertained. Ends
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