Amritsar Airport Suspends Flight Operations After Drone Sighting, Seven Flights Diverted

Flight operations at Amritsar Airport were temporarily halted for around 90 minutes on Sunday night after drones were reportedly spotted over the airfield, resulting in seven flights being diverted, airport authorities said. Airport Director Anirudh Kumar Sharma told ANI that the airport’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) received information from the Indian Air Force at around 9:45 pm about drone activity in the vicinity of the airfield.

Several aircraft scheduled to land at Amritsar were already waiting in the air when the alert was received. Authorities immediately activated the airport’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for drone sightings and convened a Joint Action Committee in the control tower to assess the situation. After reviewing the potential risk to arriving aircraft, the committee decided to temporarily shut the airfield. Flight operations were suspended at approximately 9:50 pm.

With aircraft unable to land safely, seven flights were redirected to other airports. Two flights were sent to Chandigarh, while five were diverted to Delhi, Sharma said. The airport remained closed while officials monitored the situation and assessed whether any further drone activity was taking place. At around 11 pm, the Joint Action Committee concluded that the situation had stabilised and no additional drone sightings had been reported.

Operations were officially cleared to resume at approximately 11:15 pm, following which diverted flights began making their way back to Amritsar. Of the seven flights that had been diverted, five subsequently returned to Amritsar. One Air India flight that had been diverted to Delhi was cancelled, while a Malaysia Airlines flight was expected to reach the airport later.

Sharma said normal operations had since resumed at Amritsar Airport. Meanwhile, police are investigating the reported drone sightings to determine their source and circumstances. The incident highlights the operational and safety challenges airports can face when unidentified drones are detected near active runways. Even a brief drone sighting can lead to precautionary flight restrictions because of the potential risk posed to aircraft during take-off and landing.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.