DGCA Derosters Air India Crew & ATC Controller Following Flight's Infringement Into Pakistan

Mumbai: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken strict interim action against Air India flight crew and an air traffic controller (ATC) at Amritsar airport as part of a major regulatory crackdown following a sensitive international boundary infringement. The enforcement action follows a domestic Air India flight briefly entering restricted Pakistani airspace.

On June 22, Air India flight AI-479, operating from Delhi to Amritsar on Monday night, crossed the international border and entered Pakistani airspace during a standard go-around maneuver. According to preliminary data and official statements from the DGCA, the incident unfolded as a chain reaction to local airport congestion and an unexpected operational hazard at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport.

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Earlier in the afternoon, an IndiGo flight 6E-5028 reported a bird strike upon landing at Amritsar. This necessitated an emergency runway inspection, forcing five subsequent arriving flights into a holding pattern. AI-479 was the fourth aircraft in the queue and was instructed by the ATC to hold over. While executing a go-around, the Airbus A321 drifted past the international boundary line and entered the Indian airspace after a minute of breaching Lahore airspace.

Air India Flight Briefly Enters Pakistani Airspace During Go-Around At Amritsar, Probe Ordered

According to the DGCA, Lahore ATC immediately flagged the breach and coordinated with Indian authorities, after which the flight was instructed to divert towards India and finally landed in Delhi. Notably, Indian airlines are restricted from entering Pakistan’s airspace following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in May 2025.

The Air India flight’s entry into a restricted zone is seen as a serious offence for putting the passengers’ lives at risk. Following the incident, the DGCA acted swiftly and said it had taken interim action against the crew flying the aircraft, as well as the ATC. According to sources, both the operating pilots and the handling controller have been de-rostered pending a full-scale safety investigation.

Strikingly, the regulator cited "non-reporting of the event" as a primary driver for the immediate administrative suspension. However, Air India claimed that it had informed the DGCA about the incident. “The crew operating flight AI479 had marginally infringed on the Pakistan airspace while maneuvering a go-around at Amritsar airport. The incident has been reported to the regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally,” the airline said.

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Notably, three Pakistani aircraft also entered Indian airspace due to unfavourable weather a week before this incident. While neither event triggered military alerts due to real-time coordination between Lahore and Indian ATC centers, the DGCA's swift de-rostering of the crew after Monday’s incident highlights the gravity of the issue.

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