CHANDIGARH: Three incoming flights, including an international service, were diverted or returned to their originating destinations after suspected drone activity was reported near Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar late on Sunday night.
The incident comes less than a month after similar activity near the airport affected seven flights.
Sources said Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel spotted two to three drones in the airspace around the airport at around 9.30 pm. They alerted the control room, following which security arrangements were reviewed and flight operations were halted as a precaution.
An Air India flight (AI-855) arriving from Delhi was sent back to the national capital, while an IndiGo flight (6E-5028) from Mumbai was diverted to Chandigarh. A Malaysia Airlines flight (MH-118) arriving from Kuala Lumpur was diverted to Delhi.
Amritsar Airport Director Anirudh Kumar Sharma said security personnel had reported drone activity, prompting the diversions as a precautionary measure. He added that the situation had returned to normal after 10.30 pm and the inconvenience caused to passengers was subsequently managed.
The disruption left several passengers stranded at the airport, with some expressing anger over the cancellations and diversions.
An official at Chandigarh International Airport confirmed the diversion of IndiGo flight 6E-5028. The flight landed in Chandigarh around 10.30 pm and departed for Amritsar at 11.25 pm.
Authorities in Amritsar are investigating the reported drone activity and the circumstances surrounding the diversions.
On September 6, suspected drones were spotted near the airport's runway and operational area, affecting seven flights. Operations were suspended for around 90 minutes, disrupting several commercial services operated by Air India, IndiGo and Malaysia Airlines.