Nagar The Aviation Ministry has issued a show cause notice to Air India regarding lapses in the immigration process. Due to this negligence, three Italian passengers took a connecting flight to the German city of Munich without completing the immigration process at Delhi Airport. Sources gave this information on Monday. The Home Ministry called a meeting of concerned stakeholders on Tuesday to discuss the matter.
Italian travelers came to Delhi from Amritsar on 4 September
According to sources, the three Italian passengers had reached Delhi from Amritsar on September 4 and after that they boarded the Lufthansa flight from Delhi to Munich. However, he did not complete the immigration process at Delhi airport. There has been no comment on this incident from Air India. Sources said the Civil Aviation Ministry has sought clarification from Air India CEO Campbell Wilson on the alleged procedural lapse.
Home Secretary Govind Mohan will preside over the meeting
In this entire matter, Home Secretary Govind Mohan will preside over the meeting to be held on Tuesday. The meeting is expected to be attended by Secretary and Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Director of Intelligence Bureau, Additional Secretary of Union Territory and Foreign Nationals Division in the Home Ministry, Commissioner of Immigration Bureau, CEO of Air India and CEO of Delhi Airport.
Air India starts flights in Amritsar under ‘hub-and-spoke’ model
Let us tell you that air india has started flights from some airports including Amritsar under the ‘hub-and-spoke’ model. In this system, passengers complete the immigration process at the spoke airport itself and board the international flight at the hub airport only after security check. In such a situation, in a journey from Amritsar to any other country via Delhi, Amritsar will be the ‘spoke’ and Delhi will be the ‘hub’.
Passengers had to complete the immigration process in Delhi.
However, sources said the Amritsar-Delhi and Delhi-Munich flights of the three Italian passengers were not under Air India’s ‘hub-and-spoke’ model. He was issued boarding passes at Amritsar airport for Lufthansa flights to Delhi as well as Munich. In such a situation, after reaching Delhi, he had to come out of the arrival area and complete the immigration process and after that take a Lufthansa flight.
Air India has entered into interline partnership with Lufthansa.
But he was taken to the International Transfer Area at Delhi Airport. Due to which he did not reach the immigration counter and boarded the flight to Munich without completing the immigration process. There is an interline partnership between Air India and Lufthansa. Under this agreement, passengers can travel on connecting flights of different airlines under the same program.
