JAIPUR: A chartered flight carrying Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma from Delhi to Phalodi mistakenly landed on the wrong runway on July 31, 2025. The Falcon-2000 aircraft was scheduled to land at the Indian Air Force Station in Phalodi, but due to pilot error, it instead touched down on the civil airstrip in Phalodi town.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an inquiry into the incident and grounded both pilots pending investigation. The incident occurred around 3 pm, shortly after the Chief Minister’s departure from Delhi.
The aircraft was meant to land at a military airbase located in a restricted zone, but the pilots mistakenly approached the nearby civil airstrip, about five kilometers away. Realising the error immediately after landing, they took off again and redirected the plane to the designated airbase.
While the situation did not lead to any major mishap, it has raised serious concerns about aviation safety and procedural lapses. According to DGCA sources, the confusion likely stemmed from the similar geographical orientation and layout of the two airstrips. Both the civil and military runways in Phalodi share striking structural similarities, which may have led to the misjudgment.
It also emerged that the pilots were not provided with sufficient information about the two airstrips during the pre-flight briefing.
Experts say such incidents highlight the urgent need to strengthen pre-flight protocols, especially when two landing sites exist in proximity. The charter company has voluntarily reported the mistaken landing to the DGCA.
Visual resemblance between 2 airstrips
Sources confirmed that the distance between the civil airstrip and the Air Force Station in Phalodi is roughly five to ten kilometres, but the striking visual resemblance between the two caused the pilots to err. The DGCA is treating the matter seriously and is examining procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future, sources added.