Air India Flight Deviates into Pakistan Airspace; Returns Safely After Being Flagged by Lahore ATC
An Air India Flight AI479 from Delhi (Indira Gandhi International Airport) to Amritsar (Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport), operated via an Airbus A321 aircraft veered into Pakistani airspace on the night of Monday, June 22, 2026.
The incident occurred on the night of Monday, June 22, 2026. The flight took off from Delhi at 9:18 PM and was scheduled to land at 10:30 PM.
As the aircraft was making its landing approach toward Amritsar airport, which is located very close to the India-Pakistan border, it executed a go-around manoeuvre (a missed approach/steered away from landing).
Reports point to two contributing factors: heavy air traffic congestion/lack of an immediate landing slot at Amritsar, alongside a brief technical snag in the onboard navigation system that caused the flight path to drift westward.
The aircraft marginally crossed the international border near Attari, entering 1 to 1.5 miles into Pakistani airspace.
Lahore Air Traffic Control (ATC) promptly flagged the breach of their airspace and contacted Indian air traffic authorities. They warned the flight crew, who immediately made a U-turn to correct their course and flew the aircraft safely back into Indian territory.
Because of the ongoing heavy traffic congestion at Amritsar, the plane was instructed to return to Delhi. It landed safely back in the national capital for a thorough technical inspection and refueling.
After receiving necessary clearances, the flight took off from Delhi again, safely touching down in Amritsar at around 2:20 AM on Tuesday (June 23), resulting in a total delay of nearly 4 hours for passengers.
Air India confirmed the incident on Wednesday, June 24, stating it has been reported to India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and an internal investigation is underway.
While aviation circles downplayed the event as a routine, non-hostile navigation error handled smoothly via international protocols, it carries significance because both nations have strict airspace restrictions in place due to historical border tensions.light
