Delhi Airport News: Air India Gets Show-Cause Notice Over Immigration Lapse
Delhi Airport News
The Civil Aviation Ministry has issued a show-cause notice to Air India over an alleged immigration procedural lapse at Delhi airport involving three Italian passengers. The ministry has sought an explanation from Air India CEO Campbell Wilson regarding the incident. Air India has not commented on the matter so far.
The incident reportedly took place on September 4, 2026, when the three passengers travelled from Amritsar to Delhi on an Air India flight before boarding a Lufthansa flight from Delhi to Munich. According to the report, the passengers did not complete the required immigration formalities at Delhi airport before boarding their international flight.
The three passengers had boarding passes for both parts of their journey. However, their itinerary was not covered under Air India’s Hub-and-Spoke arrangement for connecting passengers.
Under this model, passengers travelling from certain airports can complete immigration formalities at the originating airport before taking a domestic connection to a hub from where they board an international flight. In the case of Amritsar and Delhi, Amritsar acts as the spoke airport while Delhi serves as the hub.
However, the three Italian passengers were outside this arrangement. Because of this, they were required to exit through the arrival area at Delhi and complete immigration formalities before continuing to their Lufthansa flight to Munich.
Instead, after arriving at Delhi, the passengers were reportedly directed to the international transfer area. This meant they did not reach the immigration counter and subsequently boarded the Munich-bound flight without completing the required immigration process.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has now sought an explanation from Air India regarding the alleged procedural failure. The matter has also attracted the attention of other senior government agencies.
A meeting is expected to be chaired by Home Secretary Govind Mohan to discuss the incident. Officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry, Intelligence Bureau, Home Ministry, Bureau of Immigration, Air India and Delhi airport are expected to participate.
The meeting is likely to examine how the passengers were transferred at Delhi airport and why the required immigration process was not completed.
The passengers were travelling onward to Munich on Lufthansa. Air India and Lufthansa have an interline partnership, which allows passengers to book connecting journeys involving flights operated by both airlines under a single itinerary.
However, authorities are examining whether the handling of this particular connection followed the correct immigration procedures.
The incident has raised questions about coordination between airlines, airport staff and immigration authorities, especially when passengers change between domestic and international flights at a hub airport.
The show-cause notice gives Air India an opportunity to explain the circumstances and the steps followed during the passengers’ transfer at Delhi. Further action is expected after the ministry reviews the airline’s response and the findings of the investigation.
Ajeet Yadav is an aviation enthusiast covering airline news, airports, aircraft, and industry developments through well-researched and reliable reporting.
