What Went Wrong? Air India Faces Scrutiny Over Immigration Lapse Involving Italian Passengers

Air India is facing scrutiny after three Italian passengers boarded a Lufthansa flight from Delhi without completing immigration procedures. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued a show-cause notice to the airline, prompting a meeting with key stakeholders to discuss the incident. The passengers had arrived from Amritsar and were supposed to complete immigration at Delhi, but were mistakenly directed to the international transfer area. This oversight raises questions about procedural adherence in the airline's operations. Read on to learn more about the implications of this lapse.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 14, 2026, 22:04 IST

Air India Under Investigation for Immigration Oversight

New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued a show-cause notice to Air India regarding alleged procedural failures that allowed three Italian travelers to board a connecting flight from Delhi without completing the necessary immigration formalities earlier this month. Sources indicate that the Home Ministry has scheduled a meeting with relevant stakeholders to address the incident on Tuesday.

The trio arrived in Delhi from Amritsar on September 4 and then intended to fly to Munich via Lufthansa.

However, they bypassed the immigration process at Delhi airport, according to reports.

Air India has yet to comment on the situation.

The civil aviation ministry has formally requested an explanation from Air India CEO Campbell Wilson concerning these alleged lapses.

Home Secretary Govind Mohan is set to lead the meeting on Tuesday, which will include key officials from the civil aviation ministry, the Intelligence Bureau, the Bureau of Immigration, and the CEOs of Air India and Delhi airport.

Amritsar airport is part of Air India's 'Hub-and-Spoke' model, which allows passengers to complete immigration at their departure airport for smoother international travel. In this model, Amritsar serves as the spoke while Delhi acts as the hub.

In the case of the Italian passengers, they received boarding passes for both the Delhi and Lufthansa flights at Amritsar.

Since these flights were not part of Air India's 'Hub-and-Spoke' system, the passengers were required to exit through the arrival area and complete immigration before boarding their Lufthansa flight.

Unfortunately, after arriving in Delhi, they were directed to the international transfer area, which led them to miss the immigration counter and board their flight to Munich without the required immigration clearance.

Air India and Lufthansa maintain an interline partnership, which typically allows passengers to book connecting flights across different airlines under a single itinerary.