Amritsar airport drone sighting mystery solved; police reveal why drones were flying
The mystery surrounding drones spotted near Amritsar airport has been cleared. Police say the drones were being used to record a sports tournament despite restrictions
PTC Web Desk: The mystery surrounding the drones spotted near Amritsar airport on Sunday night has been solved. The Amritsar police on Monday said the drones were not linked to any suspicious activity but were being used to record a sports tournament.
However, the incident has raised questions about how the drones were allowed to fly so close to the airport despite restrictions in place around the sensitive zone.
Under the existing restrictions, drone flights are not permitted within an 8-km radius of Amritsar airport.
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The incident was reported around 10 pm on Sunday when drone-like objects were seen flying in the airport's operational area.
The objects were reportedly visible near the runway and surrounding areas for some time. After noticing the activity, Air Traffic Control (ATC) issued an alert and temporarily stopped landing operations.
As a precaution, seven flights bound for Amritsar were prevented from landing. Their routes were changed, with some flights diverted to Delhi and Chandigarh.
The situation also prompted the CISF, Punjab Police and other security agencies to step up security around the airport.
The location of Amritsar, close to the India-Pakistan border, made the drone sighting particularly sensitive from a security point of view.
Probe reveals source of drones
The Rajasaansi police conducted an investigation after receiving information about the drone activity. According to the police, a sports tournament was being held in a village located some distance from the airport. A person involved in the event had flown a drone to record video footage of the tournament. The investigation found no indication that the drones were being used for any suspicious purpose.
Police probe violation of drone restrictions
Raja Sansi SHO Gurpreet Singh said duty officer ASI Niranjan Singh conducted an inquiry into the incident.
The investigation confirmed that the drone was connected to the sports tournament.
However, the police are now looking into why the drone was flown despite the restrictions around the airport.
Officials said the district administration has prohibited drone operations within an 8-km radius of the airport because of security concerns.
The police are examining the violation and will take necessary action as per the applicable rules.
Meanwhile, Amritsar Airport Director Anirudh Kumar Sharma said drone movement was reported near Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport late Sunday night, following which the airport’s airspace remained closed for several hours. Around seven flights were diverted during the disruption. Of these, five flights have since returned to Amritsar, while one flight was cancelled and another is expected to return to the airport today.
Sharma said the situation at the airport is now completely normal, with flights continuing to take off and land as usual. He added that the airport authorities had informed the Amritsar police about the incident. While passengers had to face some inconvenience due to the disruption, he said the precautionary measures were necessary to ensure their safety.