Air India Flight Alerts Passengers to Pakistan Time Zone
By Business Desk
Passengers on an Air India Delhi-Mumbai flight received surprising Pakistan Standard Time alerts mid-flight, sparking confusion and questions about flight paths.
Imagine flying from Delhi to Mumbai, only for your phone to suddenly declare you’ve entered Pakistan. That’s exactly what happened to several Air India passengers on a Wednesday morning flight, sparking confusion and questions mid-air.
Mid-Air Time Zone Surprise
Passengers aboard Air India flight AI-2678, traveling from Delhi to Mumbai, received unexpected mobile phone notifications during their journey. These alerts indicated a time zone change, placing them in Pakistan Standard Time.
The notification prominently read: “Your time zone changed. You are now in Pakistan Standard Time (GMT +05:00).”
Upon landing in Mumbai, some passengers asked the cabin crew for clarification. They were reportedly informed that the notifications might have stemmed from a technical glitch, though it remains unconfirmed if the aircraft actually crossed into Pakistani airspace.
A Look Back at Past Airspace Incidents
This isn’t the first time an Indian domestic flight has reportedly skirted or entered Pakistani airspace. A similar event occurred in June involving another Air India flight.
That incident involved flight AI479 from Delhi to Amritsar on June 22. The aircraft marginally infringed during a go-around manoeuvre at Amritsar airport.
Air India had confirmed this previous event, stating it was reported to regulatory authorities and was under internal investigation. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) elaborated, explaining the aircraft was asked to hold due to a runway inspection following a bird-strike incident.
The DGCA further noted that after commencing approach during radar vectoring, the aircraft briefly entered Pakistan airspace. This event was coordinated with Pakistan’s air traffic control authorities. That flight subsequently diverted to Delhi and landed safely.
For now, passengers on the Delhi-Mumbai flight are left with a curious travel story. Air India has yet to clarify the latest incident involving AI-2678, meaning the mobile phone alerts alone cannot confirm any actual airspace deviation for the Wednesday morning flight.