Air India CEO faces show cause notice over immigration lapse

India's Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued a show cause notice to Air India's CEO over a serious security and immigration lapse that allowed three Italian nationals to depart from Delhi for Munich without completing mandatory departure immigration clearance. The notice, issued on September 12, charges the airline with violating standard operating procedures for its hub-and-spoke flight operations. The incident occurred on the night of September 3 and 4. The three passengers arrived at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at 12:50 a.m. on September 4 on Air India flight AI 1115 from Amritsar. They subsequently boarded Lufthansa flight LH 763 to Munich at 1:45 a.m. without undergoing the required immigration process at Delhi. According to the ministry's notice, the passengers were incorrectly handled and escorted to the international-to-international transfer area. This allowed them to bypass the immigration counters and board their onward flight. The notice identifies five specific violations, including the issuance of a non-standard third type of boarding pass at Amritsar for the onward journey, which contravened the prescribed procedure.