Drones force Amritsar airport shutdown and divert seven flights

A drone sighting brought Amritsar airport to a temporary standstill on Sunday night, forcing seven aircraft waiting to land to divert to Delhi and Chandigarh.

“

Around seven flights thus had to be diverted, to Chandigarh and Delhi because planes scheduled to land at Amritsar were already holding near the airport area.

The airport stopped operations at about 9:50 p.m. after the Indian Air Force alerted air traffic control to drone activity across the airfield. Two flights went to Chandigarh and five to Delhi. The diverted flights included two Air India services, two IndiGo services and one Air India Express flight, according to officials.

Under standard procedures for drone sightings, a committee assessed whether the activity posed a threat to aircraft movements. After no further drones were seen or reported, the committee reviewed the situation at about 11 p.m. and cleared the airport to resume operations at 11:15 p.m. Five of the seven diverted flights later returned to Amritsar.

“

The committee reviewed the situation around 11 pm because no more drones were seen or reported around the airport. The airport was thus cleared to resume operations at 11.15pm.

One passenger said a Dubai-to-Amritsar flight circled overhead before diverting to Delhi, then was expected to fly back after the airport reopened. The passenger praised the Air India Express crew for keeping travelers informed and calm. An airline official said the aircraft had enough fuel to remain in a holding pattern for more than an hour. Flight IX 138, scheduled to land at 10:40 p.m., diverted to Delhi before landing in Amritsar.

“

The crew’s handling of it deserves an appreciation post.