Afghan flight makes wrong runway landing at Delhi airport
An Ariana Afghan Airlines plane from Kabul landed on the wrong runway at Delhi's IGI Airport on November 23, 2024.
Instead of using the cleared runway, the pilot touched down on one meant only for take-offs—potentially risking a serious incident, but no aircraft was on the runway at the time.
Thankfully, a major accident was avoided.
Why it matters
Authorities are investigating how this mix-up happened and what needs fixing to keep flights safe.
Air traffic officials called it a "miraculous escape" and will be talking with Afghan aviation authorities about the error.
Not the 1st close call this year
This is just the latest in a series of near-misses at Delhi airport in 2024—from taxiway confusion to planes being cleared for intersecting runways within minutes.
It's raising real questions about safety and coordination at one of India's busiest airports.