Amritsar airport on high alert after drones spotted near runway, seven flights diverted

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Amritsar: Operations at Amritsar airport were suspended for nearly an hour and a half on Sunday night after two to four suspicious drones, or flying objects resembling drones, were spotted in the airport’s operational area.

The suspicious activity was detected near the runway, prompting Air Traffic Control (ATC) to issue an alert.

Following the airport’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for drone sightings, a Joint Action Committee was activated and assembled in the control tower. The committee determined that the drone activity could disrupt scheduled landings, leading to the decision to close the airfield. Operations were suspended around 9:50 pm.

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“At approximately 9:45 pm, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) unit received a report from the Indian Air Force stating that drones had been spotted across the airfield. By that time, several aircraft scheduled to land in Amritsar were already circling overhead. Following our Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for drone sightings, a Joint Action Committee was activated and assembled in the control tower. They determined that the drone activity could disrupt scheduled landings, so the decision was made to close the airfield for operations,” Airport Director Anirudh Kumar Sharma said.

As a security precaution, seven incoming flights were diverted to Delhi and Chandigarh. The flights affected were:

• Malaysia Airlines (MH-118): Kuala Lumpur to Amritsar (diverted to Delhi)
• IndiGo (6E-5028): Mumbai to Amritsar (diverted to Chandigarh)
• IndiGo (6E-2045): Delhi to Amritsar (diverted to Chandigarh)
• Air India (AI-479): Delhi to Amritsar (diverted to Delhi)
• Air India (AI-855): Delhi to Amritsar (returned to Delhi)
• IndiGo (6E-1428): Sharjah to Amritsar (diverted to Delhi)
• Air India Express (IX-138): Sharjah to Amritsar (diverted to Delhi)

Also Read: All Functions Of Amritsar International Airport Suspended Till Further Notice

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