The near-collision between the Air India and Jet Airways flights at Mumbai airport has raised several questions about the viability of having cross runway operations for 24 hours.
The near-collision between the Air India (AI) and Jet Airways flights at Mumbai airport on Sunday has raised several questions about the viability of having cross runway operations for 24 hours. However, preliminary investigation by the director general of civil aviation (DGCA) gave a clean chit to the Jet Airways pilot.
On Monday, the DGCA officials went through the recordings of the conversations of the AI and the Jet Airways pilots with the Mumbai air traffic control (ATC). A copy of the transcript is with DNA. “We found that the Jet pilot was cleared for take-off while the AI pilot was only asked to line up (remain on hold). So the Jet pilot is not at fault,” said an official.
Here are excerpts of the conversation between the ATC and the two pilots:
ATC: Jet Airways 615, backtrack runway 14 and line up
Jet Airways (JA) pilot: Roger. Jet Airways 615 backtrack runway 14 and line up
ATC: Air India 348, line up runway 27
AI pilot: Roger. Air India 348 line up runway 27
ATC: Jet Airways 615, runway 14 cleared for take-off, wind 250 degrees, 06 knots
JA pilot: Roger. Jet Airways 615 runway 14 cleared for take-off, wind 250 degrees, 06 knots
ATC: Saudi 752, vacate runway 27 via N10 (November) (taxiway)
Saudi Airlines pilot: Roger. Saudi 752 vacate runway 27 via N10 (November)
ATC saw Jet Airways rolling. It had crossed the intersection when the ATC saw that Air India had also rolled 500 metres.
ATC: Air India 348, hold position, hold position
AI pilot: Roger. Air India 348 holding position
Jet Airways pilot heard the shout and applied the brakes.
JA pilot: Jet Airways 615 rejecting take-off
ATC: Roger. Jet Airways 615 rejecting take-off
ATC: Air India 348, vacate runway 27
AI pilot: Roger. Air India 348 vacate runway 27
ATC: Jet Airways 615, vacate runway 14
JA pilot: Roger. Jet Airways 615 vacate runway 14
What happened
On May 31, during a cross runway operation, a Jet Airways Mumbai-Kolkata flight 9W 615 and AI Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai flight AI 348 started to take-off at the same time. According to DGCA sources, only the Jet flight on runway 14 was cleared for take-off at 7:56 am and the AI flight was asked to hold on runway 27. At that time, a Saudi Airline flight SV 752 had landed on runway 09 and was to vacate the runway through taxiway N-10. While the Jet flight proceeded for take-off, the AI pilot followed suit. On hearing the conversation between the AI pilot and the ATC, the Jet pilot
aborted the take-off on its own.
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