The Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued a show-cause notice to Air India over a security lapse involving three Italian nationals who allegedly flew from Delhi to Munich without completing mandatory immigration clearance.
The notice, dated September 12, talks about Air India flight AI-1115 from Amritsar to Delhi on September 4. The three passengers -- Surjit Singh, Balwinder Kaur and Gurdev Singh -- later boarded Lufthansa flight LH-763 to Munich at 1:45 am without going through the required departure immigration process, according to the ministry's notice seen by HT.
"These passengers had been issued a ‘D’ boarding pass for the Amritsar-Delhi sector and an onward boarding pass for their Lufthansa journey at Amritsar. Upon arrival at Delhi, the passengers were incorrectly handled and were escorted to the I-to-I transfer area," the notice said as it sought explanation from Air India on what happened.
What happened at Delhi airport?
The three passengers arrived at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 12:50 am after travelling from Amritsar on board Air India flight AI-1115.
{{/usCountry}}The three passengers arrived at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 12:50 am after travelling from Amritsar on board Air India flight AI-1115.
{{/usCountry}}The ministry said they had been issued “D” boarding passes for the Amritsar-Delhi sector. They also had onward boarding passes for the Lufthansa flight to Munich.
Under the approved hub-and-spoke procedure, passengers flying from a domestic airport to Delhi and then taking an international flight must follow certain steps at Delhi airport.
The three passengers should have exited through Gate 39 and completed immigration before going for their international flight.
Instead, they were allegedly taken to the International-to-International (I-to-I) transfer area. They then reached the departure area and boarded the Lufthansa flight to Munich without completing immigration.
What the ministry found
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said the incident raised serious security concerns and involved several violations of the approved hub-and-spoke procedure.
The procedure requires domestic and international passengers to be kept separate at the hub airport. It also sets rules for boarding passes and the use of the I-to-I transfer area.
Only passengers with an “I” indicator for an international flight should be sent to the I-to-I transfer desk after their identity is checked.
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The three passengers, though, had “D” boarding passes but were allegedly sent through the I-to-I route.
The ministry also questioned why Air India issued their Lufthansa boarding passes at Amritsar when the approved procedure did not allow for this at the spoke airport.
Air India asked to explain lapse
The ministry has questioned the role of Air India and SATS staff who handled the three passengers at Amritsar and Delhi airports.
Under the SoP, the airline must have a 24x7 team to ensure passengers do not board international flights without completing immigration.
The ministry asked why the three passengers were sent to the I-to-I transfer area and why the required checks did not stop them. It also sought details on whether their passenger records and other documents were correctly updated.
Air India has been asked to explain the lapse and why action should not be taken against it for violating the hub-and-spoke procedure.
The airline has seven days to reply. If it does not respond, the ministry may decide the matter based on available records and consider further action.
MHA calls urgent meeting
The Union home ministry (MHA) has called a meeting to discuss the immigration lapse involving the three Italian passengers, HT reported earlier.
The meeting will be chaired by home secretary Govind Mohan at 7 pm on Tuesday at Kartavya Bhawan, the MHA office.
Senior officials from the home and civil aviation ministries are expected to attend. These include the Ministry of Civil Aviation secretary and additional secretary, Intelligence Bureau director, MHA additional secretary (UT and Foreigners), Bureau of Immigration commissioner, Air India Group head and Delhi airport CEO.
Delhi airport operator denies receiving notice
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates IGI Airport, has denied receiving any show-cause notice in connection with the incident, as per an earlier HT report.
“We would like to clarify that Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has not been served any Show Cause Notice in this matter,” DIAL said.
The airport operator said security at IGI Airport was managed under a “multi-agency framework” and that it remained committed to supporting security and government agencies and following all prescribed protocols.
(With inputs from HT correspondent and Neha LM Tripathi)