Alert pilots on an IndiGo flight from Dibrugarh prevented a potential accident on Sunday when they aborted landing at Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport after spotting another aircraft still on the runway.
The incident occurred at around 3.30 pm as the flight approached for touchdown. Just moments before landing, the cockpit crew noticed a separate aircraft on the same runway and immediately initiated a go-around manoeuvre, lifting away from the airstrip and circling the airfield to await clearance from air traffic control.
Following the go-around, the flight landed safely on a cleared runway without further incident. All passengers were safe and unharmed during the episode. Officials later confirmed that Assam minister Bimal Borah was among those on board.
According to passengers, the change in course came without panic, with the aircraft gaining altitude smoothly after the aborted touchdown. “The pilots acted swiftly and we were informed about the go-around. A few minutes later, we landed safely,” one passenger said.
The scare comes just days after another IndiGo Airbus A321 suffered a tail strike during a low‑altitude go‑around at Mumbai Airport amid heavy rainfall. Tail contact occurred when the aircraft aborted its approach; it completed a safe second landing, and no injuries were reported.
Aviation experts noted that go-arounds are a standard safety procedure and are executed whenever an airstrip is not fully clear or indicators change at the last moment. In this case, the protocol prevented what could have developed into a serious runway incursion.
Authorities are expected to review the circumstances and coordination between air traffic controllers and the aircraft on the ground.
Also read: IndiGo plane tail touches runway during go-around in Mumbai
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