Close call at Delhi Airport: Afghan plane lands on wrong runway, blames poor visibility and ATC

An Ariana Afghan Airlines aircraft from Kabul caused a major safety scare at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday afternoon after it mistakenly touched down on a runway meant solely for departures. Fortunately, there was no aircraft preparing for take-off at the time, preventing what could have become a serious incident.

According to officials, the Airbus A310 operating as flight FG 311 had been given clearance to land on runway 29L. Instead, the pilot brought the aircraft down on the adjacent runway 29R at 12:06 pm on November 23. At IGI Airport, 29L is designated for incoming flights while 29R is used for departing traffic.

Sources told the Times of India that the situation as a “close call,” noting that another aircraft was scheduled to depart from 29R shortly afterward. The Ariana Afghan captain reportedly attributed the error to a malfunction of the instrument landing system (ILS) during final approach combined with increasingly poor visibility, which led the jet to stray from its intended landing path.


The pilot has also alleged that air traffic controllers did not alert the crew about the deviation during approach. This claim is currently under investigation, and authorities are reviewing communication records to verify it.

Indian aviation regulators have initiated a detailed inquiry into the incident and are expected to raise the matter with their Afghan counterparts, given the seriousness of an unsanctioned runway landing.

After touchdown, the crew notified ATC that the aircraft had landed on the wrong runway, explaining the deviation as a consequence of lost lateral guidance during low-visibility conditions.