AI plane strays into Pak airspace for 5 minutes

In a major security breach, an Air India flight strayed into Pakistan airspace for five minutes, creating a flutter at Amritsar international airport, around 7.30pm on June 5.
However, the Delhi-Amritsar-London flight with over 150 passengers reached Amritsar on schedule.

A senior aviation ministry official told DNA, “The pilot had been told to go around by the Amritsar control tower. But she wandered off into Lahore airspace.”

The airline’s preliminary internal probe found the pilot at fault and she has been withdrawn from flying duty. 

Pakistan’s air surveillance authorities tracked the aircraft the minute it crossed the border. It promptly instructed the plane to return to Indian airspace. 

Airport officials at Amritsar went into a tizzy till the flight returned safely.

According to international air convention, no aircraft can enter foreign airspace without permission. Pakistan airspace is very close to Amritsar airport.

All incidents of cross-border straying of aircraft are brought to the attention of the highest authorities of both countries.

Last December, Pakistan had accused India of violating its airspace and declared an emergency at its airbases. The incident had come two weeks after India vowed to take action against Islamabad after the 26/11 attacks.