Runway 23 and the Shadows of the Past: Two Tragedies, Decades Apart
Does Runway 23 carry an unseen burden — a streak of incidents that defy logic but command remembrance?
In what many are now calling an eerie repetition of history, Thursday’s crash of an Air India flight shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad has stirred painful memories of another devastating air disaster — one that occurred nearly four decades ago. Strikingly, both incidents trace back to the same stretch of tarmac: Runway 23.
The Air India flight, bound for London with over 130 people on board, met with disaster just minutes after liftoff from Runway 23 at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The exact cause is yet to be confirmed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), but the alignment with a similar crash in 1988 is hard to overlook.
On October 19, 1988, Indian Airlines Flight 113 from Mumbai was on its final descent when it crashed during its approach to — once again — Runway 23. Of the 139 people aboard, 133 lost their lives, including prominent IIM Ahmedabad professor Labdhi Bhandari. That ill-fated flight struck trees and a high-tension electricity tower near Chiloda Kotarpur village, before crashing just 2.5 km from the threshold of the runway, in the vicinity of Noble Nagar Housing Society.
An inquiry into the 1988 disaster painted a grim picture. It wasn’t just poor visibility or missing approach aids like the Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) — it was also pilot misjudgment, a fatal descent below the minimum safe altitude, and a landing attempt made without air traffic clearance. The Ahmedabad court later termed the degree of negligence “recklessness,” emphasizing the pilots’ deviation from established aviation protocols.
Now, decades later, the same runway — Runway 23 — is again in focus. Aviation experts and longtime observers can’t help but draw oblique parallels. While no formal linkage is being made, some whisper about the unsettling coincidence that two of Ahmedabad’s most tragic air disasters are tied to the same end of the airfield.
🚨GUJARAT PLANE CRASH: 59 SECONDS OF ABSOULTE HORROR!
Air India AI171, with 242 onboard, Tookoff from Runway 23. Flight issued mayday but lost all contact, crashing outside the airport perimeter, 110 confirmed dead so far#crash #News #Ahemdabad #AirIndia #GujaratPlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/oFYdfwzG12
— Bhaskar Chakravorty (@Bhaskar_reports) June 12, 2025
Is it merely misfortune? Or does Runway 23 carry an unseen burden — a streak of incidents that defy logic but command remembrance?
For now, the focus remains on rescue efforts and investigation. Yet, in hushed tones across tarmacs and terminals, the question lingers — what is it about Runway 23?
|Also Read: UPDATED: Air India Flight to London crashes with 242 onboard |
|Also Read : Air India plane crash: Ill-fated runway 23 of Ahmedabad airport back in news after 1988 accident |
