Air mishap averted at Varanasi airport

Varanasi, Nov 7: A major mishap was averted at the airport here on Monday when the pilot of a SpiceJet flight with 200 passengers on board spotted a Jet Airways plane on the runway as he prepared to land, airport officials said.

At around 3:45 PM, the Jet Airways plane with 145 passengers on board came on the runway and was getting ready to take off for Mumbai. At the same time, the SpiceJet flight from Mumbai (via Delhi) was about to land, the officials said.

The SpiceJet pilot delayed landing of the flight as he noticed the Jet plane on the runway. Soon after, the ATC personnel issued instructions to both pilots, asking the SpiceJet flight to make rounds in air and the Jet flight to return to apron.

The SpiceJet flight landed at the airport at around 4 PM, while the Jet Airways flight took off 10 minutes later, they said. Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, S K Malik said the DGCA has been informed about the matter and an inquiry ordered into the incident.

PTI