New Delhi: Air India has come under scrutiny after three Italian nationals allegedly flew out of India without completing mandatory immigration clearance at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
According to a notice issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the passengers—Surjit Singh, Balwinder Kaur and Gurdev Singh—travelled from Amritsar to Delhi on Air India flight AI1115 during the intervening night of September 3 and 4. They subsequently boarded Lufthansa flight LH763 to Munich at 1.45am on September 4.
The ministry said the passengers were issued boarding passes in Amritsar for both the Amritsar-Delhi sector and their onward Lufthansa journey. After arriving in Delhi at around 12.50am, however, they were allegedly directed to the international-to-international (I-to-I) transfer area instead of the designated domestic transfer route.
As a result, the passengers were able to proceed towards their Munich-bound flight without completing the required departure immigration formalities.
The ministry has described the incident as a serious security and immigration lapse, pointing out that standard operating procedures (SOPs) require airlines to maintain proper segregation and verification of domestic and international passengers.
The notice also alleges that Air India issued the passengers a third category of boarding pass for their onward Lufthansa journey instead of the prescribed domestic or international boarding passes. The ministry has sought an explanation from the airline over the alleged violation of approved SOPs and the failure to conduct the required checks.
The notice, issued on September 12, gives Air India seven days to respond along with relevant documents. The ministry has warned that failure to provide a satisfactory response could lead to appropriate administrative and regulatory action.
