‘Serious lapse’: Air India CEO summoned after 3 foreigners 'skip' immigration check

NEW DELHI: Centre has summoned Air India CEO after three foreign nationals departed India without undergoing mandatory departure immigration clearance, news agency ANI reported, citing sources.Sources told ANI that the ministry of civil aviation has sought an explanation from the airline after the incident, terming it a "serious security and immigration-related lapse."This comes after the civil aviation ministry issued a show-cause notice to the airline over alleged procedural lapses that allowed three Italian passengers to board a connecting flight from Delhi without completing immigration formalities earlier this month.

What happened

Three Italian nationals fly into Delhi from Amritsar on September 4 and then, within an hour, depart for Munich on a codeshare Lufthansa flight from Delhi airport without the mandatory immigration check.According to the ministry, the incident occurred during Air India's hub-and-spoke operation and involved a violation of the prescribed Standard Operating Procedure.Amritsar airport is among the airports where Air India operates flights under its ‘Hub-and-Spoke’ model.

Under this arrangement, passengers complete immigration formalities at the airport of origin and can then travel to an overseas destination through a designated hub. At the hub airport, where the international flight departs, passengers are required only to undergo security checks before boarding.

If a person is travelling from Amritsar via Delhi to a foreign destination, then Amritsar is the spoke and Delhi is the hub.In this case, the sources told PTI that the Italian nationals were issued boarding passes at Amritsar airport for Delhi as well as the Lufthansa flight to Munich.Meanwhile, home secretary Govind Mohan is expected to chair a meeting to discuss the incident on Tuesday. Secretary and additional secretary at the civil aviation ministry, director of Intelligence Bureau, additional secretary (UT and Foreigners) at the home ministry, Bureau of Immigration (BoI) commissioner, and Delhi airport CEO will attend the meeting, they added.The aviation ministry is also expected to make a presentation on ways to plug the gaps at the meeting.