The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has removed the operating crew of an Air India flight and an air traffic controller after an aircraft briefly entered Pakistani airspace in Lahore while trying to land in Amritsar on June 22, officials said.
The regulatory body said that temporary action had been taken against the crew and the air traffic controller concerned for not reporting the incident.
The incident was related to Air India flight AI479 from Delhi to Amritsar, operated by an Airbus A321 (VT-PPV), at around 10.10 pm on Monday. According to the DGCA, the plane was en route to Amritsar when it was instructed to wait because the runway had been inspected following a report of bird collisions on an earlier flight.
“After the aircraft began approaching while under radar guidance, the aircraft briefly entered Pakistani airspace. Coordination was made with Pakistani air traffic control authorities. The aircraft finally returned to Delhi and landed safely in Delhi,” the regulator said.
Air India confirmed the incident. “The crew of flight AI479 from Delhi to Amritsar on June 22 slightly violated Pakistani airspace while performing a maneuver at Amritsar airport. The incident has been reported to regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally,” the airline said.
“The Amritsar Air Traffic Control Center asked the pilot to continue towards the international border and the plane crossed into Lahore airspace at around 10.08 pm by about three miles,” an official familiar with the matter said.
According to airport officials, the incident occurred outside the hours during which approach control services are available at Amritsar airport. “Before this incident, flight 6E 5028, after landing in Amritsar at 4.29 pm, reported a bird strike, resulting in a request to suspend the next five flights,” an official said. “The Air India flight from Delhi was the fourth in line to land,” he added.
Another official said that the Amritsar Air Traffic Control Center coordinated with the Lahore Air Traffic Control Center regarding the aircraft’s deviation into Pakistani airspace.
The aircraft re-entered Indian airspace around 10.20pm and then attempted to approach Amritsar again. The plane was unable to land and was diverted to Delhi after the crew reported low fuel, officials said. The plane landed safely in Delhi at 11.27 pm.
