An Air India Express aircraft departing from Oman to Kannur mistakenly lined up with the runway edge instead of the main runway during a night take-off on May 15, damaging multiple runway edge lights before the crew aborted the take-off.

The event is classified as an accident by Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority.

The crew aborted the take-off only after a cockpit alert and a loud bang inside the aircraft, according to industry sources.

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Preliminary indications suggest the crew may have mistaken the runway edge lights for the lights on the centre of the runway, said sources.

The accident also caused a hydraulic leak and a flat tyre, leaving the aircraft disabled and grounded. Passengers and crew were later disembarked on the runway.

“We are actively engaging with the Oman Transport Safety Bureau in investigating the incident involving our aircraft on 15 May at Muscat Airport,” the airline said in a press statement.

It added that all affected passengers were provided accommodation and alternative flight, as applicable.

This is the second major incident involving Air India Express since March, when a Hyderabad-Phuket flight made a hard landing, with visuals showing the aircraft bouncing hard on touchdown before the nose wheel (front wheel section) collapsed and embedded into the runway. A dent to the fuselage meant serious damage to the aircraft, which has remained grounded in Phuket for over three months.