New Delhi, Apr 7 (Agencies): A major mishap was averted in Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Internatonal Airport on Friday when Air India and Indigo Airlines flights came face to face at the runway.

A near collision was averted due to a timely alert from the Air Traffic Controller (ATC).

As per Air India sources, AI’s Delhi to Goa flight AI156 was about to take off from Runway 28 at 11:15AM of IGI airport but the pilot was asked to stop and come back to the bay by the ATC. At about the same time, Indigo’s Delhi bound flight from Ranchi 6E398 was about to land on the same runway.

The Air Traffic Control reportedly asked Air India flight captain to reject take off immediately. According to a Times of India report, the Air India flight was on it’s way to take off for Goa when the other aircraft came dangerously close to the carrier.

“The air traffic control (ATC) asked the commander of AI flight, Captain Amit Tyagi, to reject take off immediately as another plane was landing on runway 27. These two runways are not parallel and taper in the direction where the AI flight was to take off and from where the other plane was coming in to land,” a source was quoted as saying to TOI.

The Air India plane had 122 passengers on board. The aircraft finally took off for Goa at 12.50 PM.

More details awaited.