Did Air India Delhi-Mumbai flight briefly drift into Pakistan airspace today?
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Several passengers aboard Air India’s Delhi-Mumbai flight AI-2678 were surprised on Wednesday morning when their mobile phones flashed a notification indicating that they had entered Pakistan Standard Time while the aircraft was airborne.
“Your time zone changed. You are now in Pakistan Standard Time (GMT +05:00),” the notification read on the devices of several passengers.
After the flight landed in Mumbai, some passengers sought clarification from the cabin crew. They were reportedly told that the notification could have been caused by a technical glitch.
Fortune India has sent a query to Air India seeking details on the incident and the reason behind the mobile phone notifications.
However, it remains unclear whether the aircraft actually entered Pakistani airspace.
Air India had briefly entered Pakistan airspace in June
There have been instances in the past of Indian domestic flights briefly entering Pakistani airspace.
Earlier in June, an Air India flight from Delhi to Amritsar marginally entered Pakistan airspace while carrying out a go-around manoeuvre at Amritsar airport. The airline subsequently confirmed the incident and said it had been reported to regulatory authorities.
“The crew operating flight AI479 from Delhi to Amritsar on 22 June had marginally infringed into the Pakistan airspace while manoeuvring a go-around at Amritsar airport. The incident has been reported to the regulatory authorities and is being investigated internally,” Air India said in a statement.
The airline added that the safety of passengers and crew remained its top priority.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also provided details of the June incident. According to the regulator, Air India Airbus A321 aircraft VT-PPV, operating flight AI479 from Delhi to Amritsar on June 22, was asked to hold during its approach because runway inspection was underway following a bird-strike incident.
“After the aircraft commenced approach during radar vectoring, the aircraft briefly entered the Pakistan airspace,” the DGCA said.
The regulator added that the event was coordinated with Pakistan’s air traffic control authorities. The aircraft subsequently diverted to Delhi and landed safely.
The latest incident involving AI-2678 is yet to be clarified by Air India. Until the airline or aviation authorities confirm the aircraft’s flight path, the mobile phone notifications alone cannot establish whether the Delhi-Mumbai flight entered Pakistani airspace.