A potential catastrophe was narrowly avoided at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Saturday when an Air India flight took off just as an IndiGo aircraft was landing on the same runway.

The incident occurred when an IndiGo flight from Indore was mistakenly given clearance to land on the same runway where an Air India flight was accelerating for takeoff to Thiruvananthapuram.

The close call happened while the Air India flight was still speeding down the runway. The Air India aircraft managed to take off just in time, avoiding a collision as the IndiGo plane began its descent.

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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initiated an investigation into the near-miss. The air traffic controller who cleared the IndiGo flight to land has been removed from duty, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Air India confirmed the incident in a statement, noting that their flight AI657 had been cleared by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to enter the runway and take off. "The Air India aircraft continued with the take-off roll in accordance with laid down procedures. Authorities have started an investigation to determine the details regarding the clearances given," the statement read.