Last year, on 23 November 2025, a major aviation accident was averted at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Actually, Ariana Afghan Airlines flight AFG311 coming from Kabul to Delhi had landed on the wrong runway instead of the scheduled runway. Now the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary investigation report in this matter.
What was revealed in the preliminary investigation report
According to preliminary reports, the pilots had correctly repeated the clearance for 29L, yet they missed the runway identification. The aircraft landed at 29R instead of 29L, while at the same time an Air India aircraft was taking off from 29R. Fortunately, there was no collision. The 29R was configured for takeoff only and the landing lights and ILS were off.
A serious error occurred during landing. Investigation revealed that the pilot made a mistake due to poor visibility and the Instrument Landing System (ILS) signal being lost about 4 miles before the runway. Due to this, the plane accidentally landed on runway 29R, which at that time was being used only for takeoff.
AAIB’s demand regarding control towers of airports
The condition of Runway 29R was also worrying. In fact, the ILS systems were completely shut down for landing on this runway. That means technically no aircraft was allowed to land there. Even after this, the plane landing there is considered a big disregard for safety standards. After this serious lapse, AAIB has recommended that video and audio recording systems be installed in the control towers of all international airports in the country so that such incidents can be accurately investigated in future and security can be further strengthened.
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