The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) on Monday denied receiving any show-cause notice over an alleged security lapse involving three Air India passengers en-route to Italy.
Responding to reports, DIAL in a post on X said, “We would like to clarify that Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has not been served any Show Cause Notice in this matter.” It added that the security at the Indira Gandhi International Airport is “managed under a multi-agency framework.”
The Delhi airport further said it was “fully committed to supporting all security and government agencies and complying with all laid down protocols” as the airport operator. It urged people to refrain from posting or sharing unverified information.
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{{/usCountry}}This came after reports suggesting three foreign passengers had travelled from Delhi to Munich without immigration clearance.
MHA calls meeting over violation of hub-and-spoke policy
The ministry of home affairs called for a meeting on the violation of the hub-and-spoke policy, under the chairmanship of union home secretary. The meeting will be held on Tuesday at 7 pm in Kartavya Bhawan.
The MHA has asked representatives from the ministry of civil aviation to be present during the meeting, and make a presentation on the matter. The official communication was conveyed to MoCA Secretary, additional secretaries under MHA and MoCA, the Group Head of Air India, as well as to the chief executive officer of DIAL.
Under the hub-and-spoke model of Air India, passengers complete immigration formalities at the airport of origin, and can then travel to an overseas destination through a designated hub. Passengers are only required to undergo security checks at the hub airport.
What was the alleged incident?
Delhi airport's denial came amid reports that three foreign passengers, allegedly Italian nationals, boarded their international flight and flew from Delhi to Munich without undergoing immigration clearance, PTI news agency reported.
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The incident allegedly took place in the early hours of September 4, when the three arrived in Delhi from Amritsar. At Amritsar, they had been issued 'D' (domestic) boarding passes for their flight to Delhi, and they also had onward boarding passes for the Lufthansa flight from Delhi to Munich.
However, given that the two flights were not covered under Air India's hub-and-spoke model, the passengers were required to exit through the arrival area at Delhi airport and complete immigration formalities before taking the Lufthansa flight, PTI reported.
They were instead taken to the international transfer area at the Delhi airport and boarded their flight to Munich without completing the immigration process .
(With inputs from Neha LM Tripathi)