An Air India flight from Delhi to Amritsar in Punjab briefly entered Pakistani airspace while conducting a maneuver at Amritsar airport on June 22, the airline said.
Air India said in a statement that the crew of flight AI479 “marginally violated” Pakistani airspace during the exercise.
“The crew of flight AI479 from Delhi to Amritsar on June 22 slightly violated Pakistani airspace while conducting a maneuver at Amritsar airport,” the airline said.
According to preliminary information, the aircraft was initially instructed by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to retain more than 13 DME (distance measuring equipment). However, the flight continued towards AAR, turned left and crossed the International Boundary (IB), making a short-term entry into Pakistani airspace. The plane was unable to follow air traffic control instructions during the maneuver and subsequently crossed the border.
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Air India added that the incident has been reported to the relevant regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally.
“The incident has been reported to regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally. At Air India, the safety of passengers and cabin crew remains the top priority,” the airline said.
Air India did not reveal further details about the circumstances that led to the airspace violation.