Overview
- Airport operations were halted after the Indian Air Force alerted air traffic control to two to four suspicious drone‑like objects and the airfield remained closed for about 90 minutes on Sunday night.
- Seven incoming flights were diverted to Delhi and Chandigarh as a precaution and five of those aircraft later returned while one Air India flight was cancelled and an international service was expected to arrive later.
- Officials activated the airport’s SOPs, convened a Joint Action Committee in the control tower, and deployed CISF and Punjab Police teams to sweep the perimeter and search nearby border villages including Rajala/Rudala.
- Police registered an FIR and investigators are examining competing explanations that the devices were used for local event videography versus being launched from across the India–Pakistan border for contraband drops.
- The incident highlights recurring drone threats in the Punjab border belt and is likely to prompt sustained vigilance at nearby airports, tighter local enforcement of restricted airspace rules, and continued checks on event drone use.