Aviation safety chiefs launched an investigation after a plane landed on the wrong RUNWAY.

The Thai AirAsia Airbus A320 had flown from Ranong province in the south of the country to the Don Mueang International Airport in the capital Bangkok on May 4.

However, instead of touching down on runway 21R, which is next to the terminal, the jet reportedly landed on 21L which runs parallel to an Air Force base. Bizarrely, a golf course separates the two runways and players walk along the fairways while planes take off.

Officials in Thailand branded the incident 'serious' and launched an investigation, according to the Aviation Herald.

Human error is believed to have caused the mistake on the low-cost carrier's flight FD-3141 shortly after 1:30 PM local time.

'A Thai AirAsia Airbus A320-200, registration HS-BBI performing flight FD-3141 from Ranong to Bangkok Don Muang (Thailand), landed on Don Muang's runway 21L,' the Aviation Herald reported.

'Thailand's AIB reported however the aircraft landed on an unassigned runway and rated the occurrence a serious incident, an investigation is underway.'

Landing a plane on an unassigned runway can be deadly. In 1979, Western Airlines Flight 2605 crashed when it tried to land on a runway that was closed for maintenance. There were 89 people onboard and 72 were killed. A ground worker was also killed when the aircraft struck his vehicle. Investigators found that low light and ground fog were among the contributing factors.

Two airports serve Bangkok. The Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) mainly has international flights while Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) has domestic and short-haul flights in Asia.

Air Asia is owned by former QPR chief Tony Fernandes of Malaysia. The company is known for its bright red and white liveried jets - including some decked out in the blue and gold of Leicester City and their sponsor King Power.