Air India plane briefly enters Pakistani airspace, DGCA responds

2 min readNew DelhiJun 24, 2026 11:00 PM IST

The aircraft returned to Delhi and almost an hour later took off again for Amritsar and landed there after 10 pm. (Credit: Company website/Representational)

Pakistan has shut its airspace for Indian airlines since April 2025, but an Air India aircraft strayed into its territory while carrying out a go-around at the Amritsar airport.

The incident took place on Monday night when flight AI479, which took off from Delhi, briefly entered Pakistani airspace. “The event was coordinated with Pakistan ATC (air traffic control) Authorities. The aircraft finally diverted to Delhi and safely landed at Delhi,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the aviation regulator announced interim action against the Amritsar air traffic controller and the airline’s operating crew for not reporting the event, without going into the specifics.

Air India said the incident has been reported to the regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally.

A source told PTI the incident took place at a little past 8 pm on Monday when the aircraft had to go around at the Amritsar airport.

The Air India aircraft VT-PPV was asked to hold due to runway inspection after a bird strike incident, DGCA said.

The aircraft returned to Delhi and almost an hour later took off again for Amritsar and landed there after 10 pm.

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

(With inputs from PTI)