Flight operations at Amritsar airport were suspended for around 90 minutes on Sunday night after drones were spotted over the airfield, leading to the diversion of seven flights, including two to Chandigarh and five to Delhi, reported ANI.
Operations resumed after authorities assessed that there was no further drone activity.
Airport Director Anirudh Kumar Sharma said the Air Traffic Control (ATC) received information from the Indian Air Force at around 9.45 pm about drone sightings across the airfield. Several aircraft were already circling over the airport while waiting to land.
Seven flights diverted after drone sightings
Following the airport’s standard procedure for drone sightings, a Joint Action Committee was convened in the control tower to assess the situation. The committee concluded that the drone activity could pose a disruption to incoming flights, prompting the temporary closure of the airfield.
“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,” he said, reported ANI.
Operations were halted at approximately 9.50 pm, with several aircraft forced to remain in holding patterns before being diverted. Of the seven flights, two were sent to Chandigarh and five to Delhi, Sharma said.
Amritsar airport operations resume after 11 pm
The Joint Action Committee reviewed the situation at around 11 pm and found that the drone activity had stopped. The airport was subsequently reopened for normal operations from 11.15 pm.
“Airport operations were suspended around 9:50 pm. In the meantime, we had to divert aircraft that were holding overhead; there were approximately seven such aircraft. Two flights were diverted to Chandigarh, and five were diverted to Delhi,” Sharma said, reported ANI.
“Around 23:00 hours (11:00 pm), the Joint Action Committee assessed that the situation was under control and–since there was no further drone activity–decided to resume normal operations; we declared operations open starting at 23:15 hours. Subsequently, the flights began returning. Of the seven diverted flights, five returned; one Air India flight that had gone to Delhi was cancelled, and the Malaysia flight is expected to arrive today. Everything has returned to normal. As for the investigation, that matter is being handled by the police,” he added.