Security agencies were placed on high alert at Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport in Amritsar around 10 pm on Sunday (September 7) after two to four suspicious drones, or flying objects resembling drones, were spotted in the airport's operational area. The suspicious activity was detected near the runway, prompting Air Traffic Control (ATC) to issue an alert.
According to preliminary information, the suspicious drones were seen approaching the airport from the direction of Rajala village. The flying objects reportedly hovered over the runway and other sensitive areas for a few minutes.
Seven flights diverted
As a security precaution, seven incoming flights were diverted to Delhi and Chandigarh. The flights affected were:
Malaysia Airlines (MH-118): Kuala Lumpur to Amritsar (diverted to Delhi)
IndiGo (6E-5028): Mumbai to Amritsar (diverted to Chandigarh)
IndiGo (6E-2045): Delhi to Amritsar (diverted to Chandigarh)
Air India (AI-479): Delhi to Amritsar (diverted to Delhi)
Air India (AI-855): Delhi to Amritsar (returned to Delhi)
IndiGo (6E-1428): Sharjah to Amritsar (diverted to Delhi)
Air India Express (IX-138): Sharjah to Amritsar (diverted to Delhi)
Amritsar airport close to India-Pakistan border
Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport, located at Raja Sansi, around 11 km northwest of Amritsar city centre, is the largest and busiest airport in Punjab. Named after Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru and founder of Amritsar, the airport is also the second-largest in northern India after Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.
It is pertinent to mention that the airport is located less than 30 km, or around 18.6 miles, aerially from the India-Pakistan border, making its proximity to the international frontier particularly significant from a security perspective.
Suspected Pakistani drones detected along LoC
Earlier in August, a suspected movement of Pakistani drones was spotted in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, but the intrusion was thwarted by the Indian Army, which later launched a search operation along the Line of Control (LoC), said sources on Saturday.
As many as three drones had crossed into the Indian airspace near the Rumlidhara area of the Nowshera sector around 8.05 am. However, they were detected by the troops of the 22nd Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (JAK RIF), and the counter-drone systems were immediately activated, which forced the drones to turn back. "The swift action forced all three drones to retreat across the border; a search operation has been launched in the area as a precautionary measure," sources told news agency.
