Air India flight briefly enters Pakistan airspace during go-around at Amritsar
Pakistan has kept its airspace closed to Indian airlines since April 2025, making any inadvertent entry highly sensitive
An Air India flight from Delhi to Amritsar briefly entered Pakistan airspace while executing a go-around during its approach to Amritsar airport on Monday night, prompting regulatory action and an internal investigation by the airline.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the incident occurred after the aircraft commenced its approach under radar vectoring and was instructed to hold because of a runway inspection following a bird strike.
During the manoeuvre, the aircraft briefly crossed into Pakistan airspace before the situation was coordinated with Pakistan's air traffic control authorities.
The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Delhi, where it landed safely. According to sources, it departed again for Amritsar about an hour later and completed the journey after 10 pm.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the DGCA said it had taken interim action against both the air traffic controller on duty at Amritsar and the Air India operating crew for failing to report the incident. However, the regulator did not specify the nature of the action.
Air India confirmed that flight AI479 operating from Delhi to Amritsar on 22 June had "marginally infringed" Pakistan airspace while carrying out a go-around at Amritsar airport.
The airline said the incident had been reported to the regulatory authorities and that an internal investigation was underway.
Pakistan has kept its airspace closed to Indian airlines since April 2025, making any inadvertent entry into its airspace a matter of heightened operational sensitivity.
The number of passengers on board the aircraft was not immediately known.
With PTI inputs