Drones force Amritsar airport shutdown, send 7 flights to Delhi, Chandigarh | India News - Hindustan Times

**Drones force Amritsar airport shutdown, send 7 flights to Delhi, Chandigarh**

*Amritsar, Punjab –* On the morning of September 7, 2026, airport officials at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport (IGI) initiated an emergency suspension of all flight operations after visual confirmation of unidentified aerial objects near the runway. The alert, issued at approximately 09:45 IST, prompted the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to halt take‑offs and landings for a period of about 90 minutes while security teams cordoned off the airfield and initiated a drone‑sighting protocol.

During the shutdown, seven scheduled commercial flights were diverted—four to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and three to Chandigarh Airport—to ensure passenger safety. In addition, three other services scheduled to depart from Amritsar were cancelled outright. The AAI, in coordination with Punjab Police and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), deployed ground‑based radar and visual observers to locate the devices, but the drones were not recovered. No injuries or property damage were reported, and all diverted aircraft resumed their original routes after clearance was restored at 11:20 IST.

The incident has revived concerns over unauthorized drone activity near critical infrastructure. Both the AAI and the Ministry of Civil Aviation reiterated that operating drones within a 5‑km radius of airports without prior permission is a punishable offence under the Drone Regulations, 2021. Officials announced that a forensic analysis of the sighting will be conducted, and that additional surveillance measures—including mobile‑based drone‑detection units—will be deployed at Amritsar and other high‑traffic airports across the region to deter future violations.