# 3 Italian nationals leave India without immigration clearance at Delhi airport

2026-09-14T16:26:23+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 6 independent outlets

Three Italian nationals bypassed mandatory immigration checks at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on September 4 and flew to Munich on a Lufthansa flight, prompting the civil aviation ministry to issue a show-cause notice to Air India. The passengers arrived in Delhi from Amritsar on Air India flight AI-1115 around 12.50am and boarded Lufthansa flight LH-763 to Munich an hour later. The ministry said the passengers were issued domestic boarding passes in Amritsar as well as onward boarding passes for the Lufthansa flight, which is not permitted under the standard operating procedure for hub-and-spoke operations.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

Coverage is largely uniform neutral reporting across sources. ABP Live and Times Now detail the procedural failures, while Hindustan Times adds that Delhi International Airport Limited denied receiving any show-cause notice and that the home ministry called a meeting on the matter for Tuesday evening. The key difference is that most sources centre the story on Air India's responsibility, whereas the Hindustan Times report broadens it to include the airport operator's denial and multi-agency oversight. The aviation ministry has given Air India seven days to respond.

## Coverage

- news.abplive.com (neutral report) <https://news.abplive.com/cities/security-lapse-at-delhi-airport-3-foreign-nationals-leave-india-without-immigration-clearance-1866711>
  Straight procedural account of the lapse and ministry notice
- timesnownews.com (neutral report) <https://www.timesnownews.com/delhi/delhi-airport-lapse-3-italian-nationals-leave-india-without-immigration-clearance-notice-issued-article-156156426>
  Detailed reproduction of the show-cause notice without commentary
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/dgca-sends-notice-to-air-india-as-3-foreigners-bypass-immigration-at-delhi-airport-fly-to-munich/articleshow/134242660.cms>
  Brief wire-style report on the notice to Air India
- ndtv.com (neutral report) <https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/3-italians-leave-delhi-without-immigration-check-air-india-issued-notice-12045576#publisher=newsstand>
  Short factual mention of the hub-and-spoke arrangement
- gulfnews.com (neutral report) <https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/3-italian-passengers-fly-from-delhi-to-munich-without-immigration-checks-air-india-gets-notice-1.500674357>
  Explainer-style account with timeline and procedural questions
- hindustantimes.com (neutral report) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/delhi-airport-denies-notice-over-reports-of-security-lapse-involving-three-air-india-passengers-to-italy-101789399617067.html>
  Focuses on DIAL's denial and MHA meeting, adds new facts

Tags: Air India, Civil Aviation Ministry, Delhi airport, DGCA
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