Turkish Airlines Flight Mistakenly Approaches Wrong Runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport

Turkish Airlines Flight 198 from Istanbul to Tokyo's Haneda Airport mistakenly approached the wrong runway during its descent. The Boeing 777-300 aircraft, registration TC-JJT, was cleared to land on Runway B but instead veered off course and headed towards the parallel Runway D.

An alert air traffic controller quickly noticed the error and instructed the flight to perform a go-around. The plane ascended and made another landing approach, safely touching down on Runway D about 25 minutes later. It is believed the pilot may have mixed up the runways after making visual contact with the airport.

The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is investigating the incident and has demanded that Turkish Airlines report details about what occurred and take measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future. This comes after a previous incident in September 2023 where another Turkish Airlines passenger aircraft diverted from its route and flew over Tokyo Tower.

Why this matters: The safety and precision of airport operations are paramount, as any deviations can potentially lead to serious accidents. Repeated incidents by the same airline raise concerns about their procedures and pilot training.

Following the September 2023 event, the ministry requested that the airline take steps to avoid such incidents and alerted other air carriers to prevent similar occurrences. The ministry has indicated that if these issues persist, Turkish Airlines' landing rights at Haneda Airport may be revoked. "We are taking this matter very seriously and will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause and implement necessary measures to ensure it does not happen again," said a spokesperson for Turkish Airlines.

Key Takeaways

• Turkish Airlines Flight 198 mistakenly approached wrong runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
• Air traffic controller noticed error and instructed flight to perform go-around, landing safely later.
• This was the second incident involving Turkish Airlines at Haneda Airport in 2023-2024.
• Japanese ministry is investigating and may revoke Turkish Airlines' landing rights at Haneda.
• Airline pledges thorough investigation and measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.