AMRITSAR: Operations at Amritsar airport were suspended for nearly an hour and a half on Sunday night after drones were spotted over the airfield, prompting authorities to shut the runway and divert seven flights amid heightened security concerns.
Airport Director Anirudh Kumar Sharma said the Air Traffic Control (ATC) received information from the Indian Air Force at around 9:45 pm that drones had been detected across the airfield. Several aircraft scheduled to land at Amritsar were already circling overhead when the alert was received.
Following the airport’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for drone sightings, a Joint Action Committee was immediately activated and assembled in the control tower to assess the situation. After determining that the drone activity could pose a risk to aircraft operations, the committee decided to suspend flight movements. The airport was closed for operations at around 9:50 pm.
With aircraft already holding over the airport, seven flights were diverted. Two were sent to Chandigarh, while five were diverted to Delhi, Sharma said.
The Joint Action Committee reviewed the situation at around 11 pm and concluded that the threat was under control, with no further drone activity reported. The airport subsequently resumed operations at 11:15 pm.
Flights began returning to Amritsar after the airfield was reopened. Of the seven diverted aircraft, five subsequently returned, while one Air India flight that had been diverted to Delhi was cancelled. A Malaysia Airlines flight that was diverted was expected to arrive on Monday.
“Everything has returned to normal,” Sharma said, adding that the police were handling the investigation into the drone sightings.
The incident briefly disrupted air traffic at one of Punjab’s key airports and prompted the activation of established security protocols to ensure the safety of aircraft and passengers. Police are investigating the source and circumstances of the drone activity.
