Delhi IGI Wrong Runway Landing: AAIB calls for ATC video and audio recording

India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary report on a severe aviation incident that occurred on November 23, 2025, involving Ariana Afghan Airlines flight AFG311, which landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi on a runway that had not been assigned.

The plane, which was on a non-scheduled international flight from Kabul to Delhi, touched down on Runway 29R instead of the directed Runway 29L at around 0636 UTC, even though it had received the correct landing clearance from Air Traffic Control (ATC). This was the time when another plane was taking off from the same runway, thus increasing the chances of a catastrophic collision.

Flight and crew were properly licensed

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As per the report, the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and First Officer (FO) of flight AFG311 were both issued valid licenses and had up-to-date medical certificates, hence proving them to be legally eligible to perform the flight.

In addition, the AAIB verified that the air traffic controllers in charge of Runway 29L and Runway 29R had the necessary licenses and certifications to provide air traffic services at the airport.

Parallel runways and airport setup

Delhi’s IGI Airport is operated by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and has two runway systems. The Southern Runway System includes Runway 29L/11R and Runway 29R/11L, which are parallel runways separated by just 360 meters.

Due to safety rules issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), these two runways cannot be used at the same time for instrument landings. As a result, the airport follows a segregated dependent mode, where Runway 29L is used only for landings and Runway 29R only for takeoffs.

At the time of the incident, Runway 29L was fully equipped with ILS CAT I, II, and III, and all navigation systems were reported to be working properly.

What went wrong during landing?

On the day of the incident, the aircraft was guided by Approach Control and later handed over to the Tower Controller for final landing on Runway 29L. The pilot confirmed being established on the ILS localizer and correctly read back all ATC instructions.

However, about 4 nautical miles before touchdown, the crew later reported losing the ILS signal. Due to poor visibility, they could not clearly tell the difference between the two parallel runways and mistakenly aligned with Runway 29R.

At the same time, Air India flight AIC2243 was taking off from Runway 29R. Despite this, AFG311 landed safely on Runway 29R, which was not configured for landings and had its approach lights, ILS, and PAPI switched off.

No damage or injuries were reported. The aircraft later departed for Kabul the same day as flight AFG312.

The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) has been recovered and is under analysis. However, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) data was overwritten because the aircraft operated another flight without downloading the recording.

Investigators have secured radar recordings, ATC transcripts, weather reports, crew statements, and aircraft technical logs for further review.

AAIB safety recommendation

As an interim safety step, the AAIB has recommended installing video and audio recording systems in ATC towers at all international airports. These recordings will be used only for investigation purposes by the DGCA and AAIB, not for punishment.

"It is recommended that ATC units be equipped with devices to record video and background communications of controllers performing ATC duties in Tower," AAIB said in its report.

The investigation is still ongoing, and a final report will be issued later.