A serious aviation incident was narrowly avoided on Sunday at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi after an Ariana Afghan Airlines flight from Kabul landed on the wrong runway — one meant primarily for take‑offs. The incident has triggered an investigation by India’s aviation regulator, raising concerns over navigation systems and air‑traffic coordination.
The flight — an Airbus A310 operating as FG‑311 — was cleared for landing on Runway 29L, which is normally used for arriving aircraft. But the pilot ended up touching down on the adjacent Runway 29R, a strip typically reserved for departures.
According to statements from the pilot, about four nautical miles out from the runway, the aircraft lost guidance from its Instrument Landing System (ILS). Low visibility compounded the problem, forcing the crew to switch to a visual approach. During this approach, the plane drifted to the right and landed on the wrong runway.
After touchdown, the pilot realised the error and informed air traffic control. He claimed that he had only been cleared for Runway 29L and that no warning was issued by the tower when he deviated from that path.
Officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have confirmed that a probe is underway. They are examining cockpit voice recordings, ATC communication logs, and system telemetry to understand whether the incident was caused by a technical malfunction, procedural lapse, or both.
Airport authorities are now likely to revisit and strengthen their protocols, particularly around low‑visibility landings and runway identification, to prevent such dangerous runway deviations in the future. The investigation is being treated with high priority given the potential risk of a runway collision.
