NEW DELHI: Flight services in Amritsar Airport were disrupted for about three hours after the air traffic control tower observed a sudden movement of three drone-like objects in the airspace.
As a result, the take-off and landing procedures of all scheduled flights were disrupted for three hours. Flight operations were suspended from 22:10 to 00:45 and only resumed after clearance from the ATC tower.
Sandeep Aggarwal, acting director of Shri Guru Ramdas International Airport, told PTI on Wednesday that the incident took place at 10.10 pm on Monday and the movement of the drone-like objects continued for nearly three hours.
Aggarwal noted that this was the first reported case of such objects floating in the air near the airport, raising serious concerns given the airport’s proximity to the India-Pakistan border.
The police are still investigating whether the objects spotted by air traffic control were actually drones and who was controlling them. The airport authorities also asked for assistance from the nearby Air Force Base.
The SHO explained that drones usually have flashing lights on the top, but in this case the airport authority referred to a “single headlight”.
Following a complaint by the airport authority, an extensive search operation was conducted along with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) during which several people from different villages around the airport were questioned, but none of them had any information about the objects flying near the airport.
As a result, the take-off and landing procedures of all scheduled flights were disrupted for three hours. Flight operations were suspended from 22:10 to 00:45 and only resumed after clearance from the ATC tower.
Sandeep Aggarwal, acting director of Shri Guru Ramdas International Airport, told PTI on Wednesday that the incident took place at 10.10 pm on Monday and the movement of the drone-like objects continued for nearly three hours.
Aggarwal noted that this was the first reported case of such objects floating in the air near the airport, raising serious concerns given the airport’s proximity to the India-Pakistan border.
The police are still investigating whether the objects spotted by air traffic control were actually drones and who was controlling them. The airport authorities also asked for assistance from the nearby Air Force Base.
The SHO explained that drones usually have flashing lights on the top, but in this case the airport authority referred to a “single headlight”.
Following a complaint by the airport authority, an extensive search operation was conducted along with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) during which several people from different villages around the airport were questioned, but none of them had any information about the objects flying near the airport.
