The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has de-rostered the operating crew of an Air India flight and an air traffic controller after an aircraft briefly entered Pakistan’s Lahore airspace while attempting to land at Amritsar on June 22, officials said.
The regulator said interim action had been taken against the crew and the concerned air traffic controller for failing to report the incident.
The incident involved 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 aircraft was on approach to Amritsar when it was instructed to hold because the runway was being inspected following a bird-strike report involving an earlier flight.
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What did the DGCA say?
“After the aircraft commenced approach during radar vectoring, the aircraft briefly entered the Pakistan airspace. The event was coordinated with Pakistan ATC authorities. The aircraft finally diverted back to Delhi and safely landed at Delhi,” the regulator said.
Air India confirmed the incident. “The crew operating flight AI479 from Delhi to Amritsar on 22 June had marginally infringed into the Pakistan airspace while manoeuvring a go-around at Amritsar airport. The incident has been reported to the regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally,” the airline said.
{{/usCountry}}Air India confirmed the incident. “The crew operating flight AI479 from Delhi to Amritsar on 22 June had marginally infringed into the Pakistan airspace while manoeuvring a go-around at Amritsar airport. The incident has been reported to the regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally,” the airline said.
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An official familiar with the matter said, “The Amritsar ATC asked the pilot to continue towards the international boundary and the aircraft crossed into Lahore airspace at around 10.08 pm by about three miles.”
What we know about the incident
According to airport officials, the incident occurred outside the hours during which approach surveillance services are available at Amritsar airport. “Before this incident, 6E 5028, after landing at Amritsar at 4.29 pm, reported a bird hit, because of which the next five arriving flights were asked to hold,” an official said. “The Air India flight from Delhi was the fourth in the queue to land,” he added.
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Another official said Amritsar ATC coordinated with Lahore ATC regarding the aircraft’s deviation into Pakistani airspace. The aircraft re-entered Indian airspace at around 10.20 pm and subsequently attempted another approach into Amritsar. However, it was unable to land and was diverted to Delhi after the crew reported low fuel, officials said. The aircraft landed safely in Delhi at 11.27 pm.