Archive · 16 Sep 2026
Centre Weighs Stronger Safeguards After Immigration Lapse in Flights
The government is checking how some passengers were able to fly onward from Delhi without completing immigration checks.
The passengers had first flown from Amritsar to Delhi and then planned to take an international flight.
Their boarding cards reportedly showed that they were domestic passengers on the first part of the trip.
They should have gone through a domestic-to-international route and completed immigration at Delhi.
Instead, sources said they were guided through a route normally used by passengers who had already completed immigration.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has asked Air India to explain what happened.
Some ground-handling workers were suspended while the incident is investigated.
The government is considering stronger rules and technology, including possible changes to boarding passes.
The Civil Aviation Ministry is considering stronger procedural and technical safeguards for hub-and-spoke flight operations.
Three Italian nationals allegedly left India through Delhi without completing mandatory departure immigration clearance.
Their boarding cards reportedly carried a “D” marking, identifying them as domestic passengers on the Amritsar–Delhi leg.
Sources said the passengers were routed through an international-to-international transfer process instead of domestic-to-international transfers.
The ministry issued Air India a show-cause notice, while involved AISATS ground-handling personnel were suspended pending investigation.
- Who
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Air India, AISATS ground-handling personnel, and three Italian nationals are involved.
- What
- Authorities are investigating an immigration and passenger-handling lapse in which three passengers allegedly bypassed departure immigration at Delhi.
- When
- The incident was reported before September 16, 2026; the ministry issued its show-cause notice on September 12.
- Where
- The incident involved the Amritsar–Delhi route and Delhi airport’s international transfer process.
- Why
- The passengers were allegedly routed through an international-to-international transfer channel despite being domestic passengers arriving from Amritsar.
- Incident
- Three Italian nationals reportedly departed India through Delhi without mandatory departure immigration clearance.
- Ministry action
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation issued Air India a show-cause notice on September 12.
- Reported process lapse
- Sources said passengers were routed through international-to-international transfers instead of domestic-to-international transfers.
- Boarding cards
- The passengers’ boarding cards reportedly carried a “D” marking for domestic travel on the Amritsar–Delhi leg.
- Personnel action
- AISATS personnel involved in guiding the passengers were suspended pending investigation.
- Possible safeguards
- Measures under consideration include procedural and technical changes related to boarding passes and passenger handling.
- Hub-and-spoke framework
- International hub-and-spoke operations from Amritsar were launched in July, following Varanasi as the second spoke airport.