A Binter Canarias ATR-72 landed on the wrong runway at Gran Canaria Airport, where an airport vehicle had been operating moments earlier. Fortunately, an accident was averted, and the aircraft and all its passengers landed safely.

Near miss with an airport vehicle

The Binter ATR-72 fortunately avoided what could have been a devastating catastrophe upon touching down on the wrong runway with an active airport vehicle.

On March 14th, Binter Canarias flight NT-207 from Fuerteventura to Las Palmas had been cleared for landing on runway 03R but incorrectly lined up for runway 03L instead.

An airport vehicle driver on runway 03L noticed the aircraft approaching and queried air traffic control. ATC visually confirmed that the aircraft was approaching runway 03L and ordered the driver to vacate the runway immediately.

Fortunately for the 68 passengers and four crew onboard the Binter flight, the airport driver sped off the runway, and the plane was able to land without further incident.

Binter Canarias ATR 72 Turboprop Airplane
The Binter ATR-72 was cleared to land on a different runway. Photo: Getty Images

Spain launches formal investigation

On April 5th, Spain's Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC) reported that it had opened up an official investigation into the incident.

Binter Canarias operates its 40-minute Fuerteventura-Las Palmas flight several times a day. The investigation will reveal whether ATC or pilot error was to blame for the near miss.

The aircraft involved in this incident was one of Binter's ATR-72s (registration: EC-MNN). The turboprop is less than six years old and has flown exclusively with Binter. This 70-seater single class aircraft was almost at full capacity, with 68 passengers onboard.

Binter recently ordered four ATR 72-600 turboprops to replace its older generation ATRs.

Binter expands network

Last month, Binter announced a significant expansion to its network, bolstering its services around Spain and in West Africa.

The airline will add to its regional network with more connections between the Canary Islands and Madeira, as well as direct flights to Lanzarote and Tenerife.

Additionally, Binter will expand its connections to several West African destinations, including Dakar, Agadir, and Marrakech.

Silhouette Passengers Binter
Binter Canarias recently upped its network, including expanding its African network. Photo: Getty Images.

A Binter Canarias spokesperson said,

"This will give even more visibility to the Canary Islands as a destination."

Despite the Canary Islands' proximity to West Africa, the African market makes up just 100,000 Binter passengers each year. The carrier deploys its fleet of five new Embraer E195-2 jets on its African network.

The carrier will almost double its connections to Madeira, the autonomous archipelago around 400km north of the Canary Islands. Binter will now operate seven routes and provide over 100,000 seats.

Have you ever experienced a near miss like this? How has your experience been flying with Binter? Let us know in the comments.