Human error by ATC led to SpiceJet, IndiGo flights coming face to face: AAI

One of ATC's inadvertent wrong message to one of the flights resulted in traffic conflict situation

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Wednesday clarified there was "no risk" to passengers in Tuesdays incident of two aircraft of IndiGo and SpiceJet coming face to face on the taxiway at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Besides the clarification by the AAI, budget carrier SpiceJet on the day dubbed as "completely false and incorrect" media reports that its aircraft had entered the wrong bay at the airport.

While attributing "human error" behind the "traffic conflict situation", the AAI said "that both aircraft stopped at safe distance and there was no risk to aircraft or passengers".

"Various reports appearing in the media are giving exaggerated version stating that the passengers had close shave, indicating a distorted interpretation that may create fear in the minds of air passengers," said an official statement.

"At times it may not be possible to eliminate human error whether it is aviation or other industries, but continuous efforts are being made by Airports Authority of India to offset such human errors through Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), recurrent training to the controllers and introducing technology," it added.

The IndiGo plane, coming in from Lucknow, had landed at the Delhi airport and was asked by the ATC to park using taxiway ‘E2’. The SpiceJet flight was unable to take off to Hyderabad due to poor visibility and was waiting to return to the parking bay, the AAI said.

While acknowledging that an air traffic controller mixed the locations of the two flights, AAI also said SpiceJet flight did not question the incomplete ATC instruction for taxiing.

A SpiceJet spokesperson, rubbishing media reports of its flight on the Delhi-Hyderabad route entering the wrong bay on Tuesday, said that the "flight concerned never at any point in time enter the wrong bay, but was following Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions at all times".

The SpiceJet aircraft, in fact, did not enter any bay at all and was on the taxiway when the crew saw another aircraft approaching and alerted the ATC, the spokesman said.

Following the incident, the AAI derostered a Surface Management Controller.

Here is the ATC statement: 

“The controller instructed SG123 [SpiceJet plane] to taxi via taxiway C and hold short of the taxiway ‘E2’ so that Indigo flight 6E-769 and SG123 would not conflict with each other,” it said. “The traffic density being high and complex, the controller inadvertently gave instructions to SG123 to continue taxi via E to stand 130, mixing its location with the location of SG263 [another SpiceJet plane] which was holding on another taxiway ‘E’ for departure,” the AAI added.