Catastrophe Averted at IGI: Investigation Reveals Near-Miss Collision Involving Afghan Airliner at Delhi Airport

On the afternoon of November 23, 2025, flight FG 311 was on its final approach from Kabul under challenging low-visibility conditions. Air Traffic Control (ATC) had cleared the vessel for Runway 29L, which is designated for arrivals. However, in a terrifying deviation from its flight path, the aircraft veered right and touched down on Runway 29R—a corridor reserved strictly for take-offs. The gravity of the situation is underscored by the fact that Air India flight AI-2243, bound for Riyadh, had just accelerated down that very same runway to become airborne. Experts suggest that a discrepancy of mere seconds in the timing of the Afghan plane’s landing could have led to a catastrophic mid-field impact between the two wide-body jets.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) probe, the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) of the Ariana Afghan flight has pointed toward a critical technical failure. The pilot claimed that the aircraft’s Instrument Landing System (ILS) malfunctioned when the plane was just four nautical miles from touchdown, at the 'Final Approach Fix' stage. Compounded by dense smog and poor visual cues, the crew allegedly lost orientation, drifting toward the wrong runway without realizing the error until the wheels were already on the tarmac. Crucially, the pilot’s testimony includes a startling allegation against the Delhi Tower, claiming that ATC failed to issue any corrective warnings or alerts as the aircraft drifted off-course.

The DGCA is now scrutinizing whether the incident was a result of pilot negligence or a deeper systemic failure within Delhi’s aviation infrastructure. Investigators, led by expert Amit Bhardwaj, are examining potential 'software glitches' within the ATC monitoring systems—vulnerabilities that controllers had reportedly flagged months earlier. As the inquiry reaches its final stages, Indian authorities have initiated formal communication with Afghan aviation officials under international protocols to address the lapse. This near-collision serves as a sobering wake-up call for the aviation industry, highlighting the fragile margin of error in managing one of the world’s busiest airspaces and the urgent need for fail-safe technological integration.