Two planes fly close, major midair collision in Bengaluru skies averted

BENGALURU: People onboard two IndiGo flights had a miraculous escape when the aircraft were cleared to take off simultaneously in the same direction from the Kempegowda International Airport's parallel runways on January 7.
Luckily, a radar controller spotted the potentially grave error and alerted pilots in both flight decks. One plane swerved sharply to the left and the other to right to avoid a collision.The serious situation did not end then as local authorities allegedly tried to hush it up by not reporting it to DGCA, possibly to avoid a probe, and punishment.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation chief Arun Kumar has taken a very serious note of this incident. A probe has been ordered and Kumar told TOI "strict action will be taken against" those found responsible for it.
The distance between the two airstrips at Bengaluru is not sufficient enough to allow parallel and simultaneous take-offs or landings. A certain time difference has to be maintained between flight movements for operational safety reasons.
"On January 7, 2022, two IndiGo flights — 6E-455 to Kolkata and 6E-246 to Bhubaneswar — were involved in breach of separation at Bengaluru airport. That morning, Bengaluru airport's north runway was meant to be used for take-offs and south for landings. Later, the shift incharge (WSO) decided to have single runway operations by using the north runway for both arrivals and departures," said a senior DGCA official.
At this time, the south runway was supposed to have been closed for operations. However, this was not conveyed to the south tower controller. As a result, the "south tower controller gave departure (clearance) to 6E-455 and at the same time north tower controller gave departure (nod) to 6E-246 without coordination. Both aircraft after departure were moving towards each other. The approach radar controller gave diverging heading and avoided a mid-air collision," the DGCA official said.
Shockingly, Airports Authority of India (AAI, that provides air traffic control or ATC services) neither reported this incident nor was it recorded in any logbook.
"The two planes were on the same course close to each other till they reached around 3,000 feet and the pilots were operating unaware of the danger. Luckily, a radar controller on the ground at Bengaluru airport spotted the flights just in time and alerted the two pilots. The Kolkata-bound aircraft swerved to the left and the other to the right avoiding a major mishap," said an official attached to the Bengaluru airport safety team on condition of anonymity.
While Bengaluru ATC officials were not available for comment on the mid-air scare, sources confirmed that lack of coordination on the part of senior Bengaluru ATC officials on duty with the south and north runway had caused the confusion. Bangalore Airport International Limited (BIAL), that operates KIA, refused to comment as the matter was related to ATC. Attempts to reach general manager of Air Traffic Management (ATM) in Bengaluru airport also proved futile.
A query to IndiGo Airlines didn't receive a response till Tuesday evening. But the query by TOI had the carrier reportedly take up the matter with the DGCA following which the aviation regulatory body ordered a department probe on Tuesday afternoon on one of the biggest air safety lapses at Bengaluru airport, sources confirmed.
Captain Mohan Ranganathan, an aviation safety expert, termed the Bengaluru air incident as "disturbing." "Parallel runway takeoffs or landings are not permitted in India, including at the Bengaluru airport, and if that happens, it has to be in a staggered fashion. It is appreciable that the radar controller acted in time. The incident needs to be probed," he said.