Mumbai, Aug 23 - Two private planes took off almost simultaneously from the same runway at the Mumbai airport Sunday morning, narrowly averting an air disaster, an official said Sunday.

A probe has been ordered into the incident by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the official said.

According to a DGCA official, the incident occurred when the Air Traffic Control reportedly gave clearance to the pilots of the two chartered aircraft to take off around the same time.