In this article, the H-plane cross-polarization (XP) pattern diversity is realized using an air-filled recessed dielectric layer without disturbing the co-polarized (co-pol) pattern and reflection coefficient (S11) of the conventional square patch antenna. Instead of suppressing XP over the entire tracking angle (−60° to +60°) at a stretch, an effective approach of shifting the minima of the XP pattern has been conceived. Considering the possibilities of substrate field alteration, a recessed dielectric layer is integrated between the patch and ground planes. In this middle layer of thickness 0.8 mm, five air cavities are excavated to reduce the effective dielectric constant (εreff) of the substrate locally for the improvement of radiation properties. As the air-filled dielectric layer is moved upwards from the ground plane, the null of the XP pattern is shifted towards the right and left of the boresight for the Type A and Type B antenna, respectively, in a specific manner. The design concept has been validated through proper measurement, and the measured results are in good agreement with the simulated results. © 2021 Elsevier GmbH