On April 3, an Air India Express Boeing 737 with 171 passengers entered an active runway at Goa's Dabolim Airport while a Navy fighter jet was taking off.

The incident was averted by the military pilot, who lifted off steeply after spotting the intruding aircraft.

AAIB investigation found that the Air India Express crew misread ATC instructions and failed to complete a read-back. The initial instruction was to prepare for departure on Runway 26, which later changed to Runway 08 with 'expect backtrack' instruction. The ground controller did not catch the incomplete read-back; the captain assumed clearance.

The runway at Dabolim Airport is managed by the Indian Navy, while civilian aircraft ground taxiing is directed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The ground controller assumed the airliner had switched radio frequencies and received clearance from Naval ATC. The naval fighter was cleared for takeoff on a separate radio frequency.

The AAIB recommended pilot retraining and tighter coordination between civilian and military controllers to prevent similar incidents in the future. The military jet passed over the runway at approximately 450 feet.