The crew of a Volaris A320 from Mexico was cleared to land on Runway 13 Left at John F. Kennedy International Airport, about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, but instead lined up on 13 Right — a runway already occupied by a Delta Embraer 170. ATC cancelled the Delta crew’s takeoff clearance, and they taxied off the runway. The Volaris crew was told to go around, and they came back to land safely on Runway 22 Left. In a statement released to the media, the Mexican airline said: “Volaris will conduct an investigation to determine the factors that led to this event. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority.” The Delta flight took off safely after the delay.
The incident follows at least two other high-profile go-arounds this year involving airline crews. In July, an Air Canada crew lined up on a taxiway, instead of the runway they were cleared for, at San Francisco International Airport. Three other jets were lined up on the taxiway, and the jet came within just a few feet of them before the crew was alerted by another pilot and safely went around. In October, the crew of an Air Canada jet was told six times to go around by ATC before they responded. The go-around requests were prompted by concerns that another jet might not have cleared the runway yet.
