Air India plane strays into Pakistan airspace; DGCA takes action against air traffic controller, crew

An Air India plane operating a flight from the national capital strayed into the Pakistan airspace on Monday (June 22, 2026) night while manoeuvring a go-around at the Amritsar airport.

Aviation regulator DGCA on Wednesday (June 24, 2026) said interim action has been taken against the air traffic controller in Amritsar and also the airline’s operating crew for non-reporting of the event.

In a statement on Wednesday (June 24, 2026), the airline said the incident has been reported to the regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally.

DGCA said that after the aircraft commenced approach during radar vectoring, it briefly entered the Pakistan airspace.

“The event was coordinated with Pakistan ATC Authorities. The aircraft finally diverted to Delhi and safely landed at Delhi,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.

Pakistan has closed its airspace for Indian airlines since April 2025.

According to Air India, the crew operating flight AI479 from Delhi to Amritsar on 22 June had marginally infringed on the Pakistan airspace while manoeuvring a go-around at Amritsar airport.

A source said the incident happened at a little past 8 p.m. on Monday (June 22, 2026) when the aircraft had to go around at the Amritsar airport.

In the statement, DGCA said Air India aircraft VT-PPV, during approach, was asked to hold due to runway inspection after a bird strike incident.

DGCA did not specify the actions taken against the air traffic controller and the operating crew.

The source said that almost an hour after returning to the national capital, the aircraft again took off for Amritsar and landed there after 10 p.m..

Details about the number of passengers onboard the plane could not be ascertained.