Amritsar/New Delhi: Passengers aboard an Air India flight from Delhi to Amritsar experienced a lengthy delay after the aircraft reportedly drifted off its designated route and briefly entered Pakistani airspace late Monday evening. The flight was later redirected to Delhi before eventually reaching its destination several hours behind schedule.
According to aviation officials, the Airbus A321 departed Delhi at 9:18 p.m., a few minutes later than its scheduled departure time. During the journey, the aircraft is believed to have encountered a technical issue that affected its navigation, causing it to stray from its planned flight path.
Sources said the aircraft inadvertently crossed into Pakistani airspace while en route to Amritsar. The deviation reportedly came to the pilot’s attention after receiving communication from Pakistan’s air traffic controllers, who warned the crew and instructed them to alter course immediately.
Following the alert, the pilot corrected the route and guided the aircraft back into Indian airspace. However, by the time the plane approached Amritsar, the airport was dealing with increased air traffic, making it difficult to accommodate the delayed arrival.
Airport authorities subsequently advised the flight crew to return to Delhi, as no immediate landing slot was available. The aircraft landed safely in the national capital before being cleared for a second departure to Amritsar after a short interval.
The flight eventually took off again and landed safely at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar at approximately 2:20 a.m., nearly four hours later than originally scheduled.
The unexpected diversion resulted in significant inconvenience for passengers, many of whom had expected to arrive in Amritsar by 10:30 p.m. Airport officials, however, confirmed that the situation remained orderly and no major disturbances were reported on board or at the airport.
Officials explained that aircraft are frequently required to remain in holding patterns due to congestion, runway availability, or operational factors. In this case, the delay caused by the route deviation reportedly contributed to the congestion, ultimately leading to the decision to send the aircraft back to Delhi.
Authorities have launched an inquiry into the incident to determine the exact cause of the navigational deviation and assess whether technical factors were responsible. Air India and aviation regulators are expected to review flight data and operational records as part of the investigation.
Despite the unusual sequence of events, officials stressed that passenger safety was never compromised and that the aircraft completed both sectors of the journey without any further complications.
