Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport was forced to temporarily suspend all flight operations for nearly 90 minutes on Sunday night after multiple suspicious drones were spotted hovering close to the runway area. The security breach triggered an immediate multi-agency alert, forcing air traffic controllers to halt incoming landings and clear the local airspace. As a direct result of the unexpected airfield shutdown, seven commercial aircraft that were holding in the vicinity had to be diverted to neighboring airports in New Delhi and Chandigarh. 

According to aviation and defense officials, the security scare began at approximately 9:45 PM when the Indian Air Force (IAF) officially notified the airport's Air Traffic Control (ATC) unit about unauthorized drone activity across the airfield. In accordance with established national security protocols for drone sightings, a Joint Action Committee was instantly activated inside the control tower to evaluate the potential risk to commercial aircraft. Recognizing that the rogue drones could severely endanger inbound flights, the committee decided to fully close the runway and “suspend flight operations at the airport at around 9:50 PM.”

The sudden closure caused immediate disruptions for aircraft that were already circling overhead and awaiting clearance to touch down. Airport authorities managed the gridlock by successfully diverting two flights to Chandigarh, while the remaining five aircraft were rerouted to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. The affected airlines included domestic carriers Air India, IndiGo, and Air India Express, alongside international operators. Ground teams and security personnel remained on high alert throughout the operational freeze as they monitored the perimeter for any secondary aerial threats. 

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The Joint Action Committee reconvened close to 11:00 PM to reassess the airfield status after radar logs and visual spotters confirmed that the unauthorized aerial objects had left the area. Finding no further signs of intrusion, officials declared the situation under control and “decided to resume normal operations... starting at 23:15 hours.” Following the clearance, five of the diverted flights were able to return to Amritsar later that night, while an Air India service to Delhi was canceled and an international flight from Malaysia was rescheduled for the following day. 

Local intelligence sources indicated that the suspected drones were initially seen outside the airport's perimeter wall, appearing to approach the facility from the direction of nearby Rudala village. Given Amritsar’s close geographic proximity to the international border, central security intelligence agencies and the Punjab Police have launched a joint investigation to identify the operators. Law enforcement teams are currently scouring the surrounding border villages to locate the launch sites and determine whether the incident is linked to cross-border smuggling networks. 

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