Air India plane entered Pakistan’s airspace before reaching Amritsar, investigation started

New Delhi: An incident related to a domestic flight of Air India has come to light, in which the aircraft briefly entered Pakistan’s airspace during the process of landing at Amritsar airport. Confirming the incident, the airline said that the matter has been reported to the relevant regulatory agencies and an internal investigation has been initiated.

Plane reached Pakistan airspace

According to the information, Air India flight AI479 going from Delhi to Amritsar had adopted a special flight procedure called ‘Go-Around Maneuver’ before landing at Amritsar Airport on June 22. Meanwhile, the plane deviated from the scheduled route for some time and crossed the international border and reached Pakistan’s airspace.

According to initial reports, Air Traffic Control (ATC) had instructed the aircraft to hold at a designated point. However, the flight continued ahead instead of stopping at the designated location. After this the plane changed direction and crossed the border line. Because of this, he reached the airspace of the neighboring country for a short time.

What do the airlines say?

The airline says that the plane was undergoing an operational procedure at the time of the incident. Initial investigation revealed that during the maneuver the aircraft could not maintain its position in accordance with ATC instructions, resulting in it going out of the prescribed airway. However, the plane later returned safely to its route and landed normally at Amritsar airport.

Air India said in its statement that the incident has been informed to all relevant regulatory and aviation authorities. The company also clarified that a detailed internal investigation is being conducted into the entire matter to find out how the aircraft deviated from the scheduled route and to ensure that such a situation does not recur in future.

The airline reiterated that the safety of passengers and crew is its top priority. At present, the company has not commented in detail on the circumstances due to which the plane reached Pakistan airspace for some time.

This incident has come to light at a time when compliance with navigation and air traffic control rules in flights operating near international borders is considered extremely important. Only after the completion of the investigation will a clear picture of the reasons and responsible aspects of the incident emerge.