Overview

• Pilots misidentified a nearby civil airstrip as the intended Phalodi Air Force Station runway due to similar orientation and inadequate pre-flight briefing.
• The DGCA initiated a formal probe on August 4 and removed the flight crew from duty pending completion of its investigation.
• The charter operator filed a voluntary incident report with the DGCA, reflecting proactive procedural accountability.
• Authorities are assessing coordination gaps between civilian and military authorities at Phalodi to prevent future runway mix-ups.
• Aviation experts warn that Phalodi’s civil airstrip may lack the structural capacity to safely accommodate heavy business jets like the Dassault Falcon 2000.