New Delhi, June 24: An Air India flight from Delhi to Punjab’s Amritsar briefly entered Pakistani airspace while carrying out a go-around manoeuvre at Amritsar airport on June 22, the airline said.
In a statement, Air India said the crew operating flight AI479 had “marginally infringed” into Pakistan airspace during the manoeuvre.
“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 airline said.
According to preliminary information, the aircraft was initially instructed by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to hold over 13 DME (Distance Measuring Equipment). However, it continued towards AAR, took a left turn and crossed the International Border (IB), resulting in a brief entry into Pakistani airspace. The aircraft was unable to follow ATC instructions during the manoeuvre and subsequently crossed the border.
Air India added that the incident has been reported to the relevant regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally.
“The incident has been reported to the regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally. At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew remain top priority,” the airline said.
Air India did not disclose further details about the circumstances that led to the airspace infringement.
