New Delhi/Mumbai, Jul 7 (PTI): Two Air India and Air India Express planes came face-to-face on the same runway at the Mumbai airport on Tuesday evening, with the Air India aircraft aborting its take-off run on the air traffic controller's instructions to avert a possible disaster, sources said.

The incident took place at around 10 pm. The Air India Express plane was yet to vacate the runway after landing when the Delhi-bound Air India aircraft was preparing to take off from the same runway, the sources said.

In a statement, an Air India spokesperson said the take-off run was aborted following instructions from the air traffic controller.

Specific details were not disclosed.

Air India flight AI816 from Mumbai to Delhi was to be operated with a wide-body Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, while the Air India Express flight AIX1547 that landed from Siliguri was operated with the narrow-body Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane, the sources said.

“The crew operating flight AI816 from Mumbai to Delhi on July 7 discontinued the take-off run after receiving an instruction to do so from the Air Traffic Control and returned to the bay," the Air India spokesperson said in the statement.

Generally, a take-off run refers to an aircraft rolling before gaining take-off speed.

The spokesperson said the aircraft would undergo necessary checks as per standard operating procedures, adding that an alternative arrangement was being made to fly the passengers to their destination at the earliest.

Further details, including the number of passengers on board the two planes, could not be immediately ascertained. PTI IAS RAM ARI

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