New Delhi: An Amritsar-bound Air India flight ( AI479 ) from Delhi briefly entered Pakistani airspace on June 22 while doing a go-around manoeuvre.
The incident could have resulted in disaster had the aircraft not exited the airspace within minutes.
Air India confirmed the incident and said that an inquiry has been ordered, as reported by Hindustan Times.
The flight entered the neighbouring country’s airspace during a go-around manoeuvre at Amritsar airport, Air India said. Pakistan extended its airspace closure for India since March this year.
Flight AI479 entered Pakistan airspace and returned to India within minutes, flight tracking website (flightradar24.com) showed.
In a statement, Air India acknowledged the infringement incident, saying the flight had “marginally infringed” into Pakistan airspace as it resorted to a go-round manoeuvre. The crew operating flight AI479 crossed the border and entered Pakistan airspace.
Air India informed the concerned regulatory authorities, the airline said. An investigation has been launched to find what led the crew to enter Pakistan airspace. Air India also said that an internal inquiry into the matter is being carried out, asserting that the safety of passengers and crew remains the top priority. The airline is yet to explain the circumstances that caused the infringement.
Pakistan extended the airspace ban for Indian aircraft on March 18. The Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) made the decision through a fresh Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). The notice was issued days before the previous one was set to expire on March 23. PAA said that Pakistan’s airspace would remain closed to all aircraft registered in India, adding the restriction would continue to apply to aircraft operated, owned, or leased by Indian airlines or operators. It added that the restriction also covered Indian military flights.
India has also closed its airspace for Pakistani aircraft, military or civil. In fact, India was the first to close down its airspace after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that killed 26 innocents.
