- The Civil Aviation Ministry issued a show-cause notice to Air India on September 12, 2026.
- Three Italian nationals boarded Lufthansa flight LH-763 without clearance after transferring through Delhi.
- Air India must respond by September 19, 2026, as the Union Home Ministry reviews the lapse.
The Civil Aviation Ministry issued a show-cause notice to Air India on September 12, 2026, after three Italian nationals flew from Delhi to Munich without mandatory departure immigration clearance. The passengers boarded Lufthansa flight LH-763 at 1:45 am on September 4.
The case has prompted a separate review by the Union Home Ministry, which called the incident a “serious security and immigration related lapse.” Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan would chair a meeting on the issue Tuesday evening, according to reporting on the review.
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The travelers arrived in Delhi from Amritsar on Air India flight AI 1115 at 12:50 am. Instead of being directed through the arrival immigration counter, they entered the international transfer area.
They then boarded the Munich flight. The movement is now being examined under India’s hub-and-spoke airport procedures.
The notice gives the airline seven days to respond. The deadline is September 19, 2026.
The overnight movement left a narrow gap between two flights
| Flight or action | Details |
|---|---|
| AI 1115 | Amritsar to Delhi, arriving at 12:50 am on September 4, 2026 |
| Passenger processing | Travelers were routed into the international transfer area |
| LH-763 | Delhi to Munich, departing at 1:45 am on September 4, 2026 |
| Immigration requirement | Mandatory departure immigration clearance |
The hub-and-spoke model allows some processing at an originating airport rather than a major international hub. In this case, the travelers had arrived on a domestic sector and were supposed to complete the required departure formalities before continuing internationally.
The notice links the lapse to hub-and-spoke handling rules
The action followed scrutiny of how the domestic-to-international transfer was managed. The notice was titled “violation of SOP for hub and spoke operations resulting in three foreign nationals departing India without mandatory immigration clearance.”
Reporting on the review identified five violations connected to the transfer process. They included passenger handling, boarding-pass issuance, and failures to segregate domestic and international travelers properly.
The airport’s handling arrangements are also under examination. The review therefore covers more than the airline’s decision-making alone.
The notice said “three Italian nationals” departed “without obtaining mandatory departure immigration clearance.” The agency warned that administrative and regulatory action could follow if the explanation does not address the lapse.
The airline has until September 19 to answer the notice
The ministry set a seven-day period for the response. If no answer arrives, it may proceed “on the basis that Air India has no submission to make” and act “based on the available records.”
That deadline gives the airline until September 19, 2026 to set out what happened during the overnight transfer. The response is expected to address the handling of the passengers and the controls used before boarding the international flight.
The three travelers were identified as Italian nationals of Indian origin
The passengers were identified as Surjit Singh, Balwinder Kaur, and Gurdev Singh. They were described as Italian nationals of Indian origin.
Their route began in Amritsar and ended in Munich, with Delhi serving as the connecting airport. The case centers on the processing between those sectors, not on the international flight’s destination.
The review reaches beyond the airline’s own handling
Officials are examining the airline’s role alongside airport handling arrangements and the procedures governing domestic and international passenger separation. The home department’s involvement places the episode within a broader security and immigration review.
The Civil Aviation Ministry’s notice represents the first formal action described in the case. The Union Home Ministry review is assessing the related security and immigration concerns, while the airline’s written response will determine the next administrative step.
The two ministries are reviewing the episode after the three passengers reached Lufthansa flight LH-763, which left Delhi for Munich at 1:45 am on September 4, 2026.
