In a shocking news for the air passengers, a Delhi–Manchester flight by IndiGo made an unexpected mid-air U-turn near the Ethiopia border on Monday and returned to Delhi. However, the reason for the U-turn was not immediately ascertained.It should be noted that the flight 6E33, operated using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, left from Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and was en route to Manchester in the United Kingdom.
Aircraft reached close to Ethiopia before abruptly turning around mid-flight
As per the flight tracking data, the aircraft reached close to the airspace near the border of Ethiopia before abruptly turning around mid-flight. The aircraft later re-entered Indian airspace.
The exact reason of the sudden U-turn is not yet clear as some of the airline officials have not yet issued an official statement explaining the development.
IndiGo cancels 500 flights to Middle East
Earlier this month, IndiGo said it cancelled over 500 flights to the Middle East and select international destinations from February 28 to March 3 due to the evolving airspace restrictions over Iran and other Gulf countries.
In a regulatory filing, the airline said that it will continue to closely monitor the revenue environment arising from this situation.
With airspace curbs in the Middle East due to the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran, flight services have been significantly impacted since February 28. "More than 500 flights to the Middle East and select international destinations have been cancelled between February 28 and March 3," IndiGo said.
It said in the filing, "Our operational teams are continuously assessing the evolving regional developments, recalibrating flight schedules, and planning repatriation operations in coordination with relevant authorities in India and the respective international jurisdictions, with the objective of minimising disruption to passengers."
1,221 flights by Indian airlines cancelled to Middle East
The Civil Aviation Ministry said on Tuesday that 1,221 flights by Indian carriers and 388 flights by foreign carriers had been cancelled (till March 3) due to the ongoing situation. As per the Ministry website, the number of departed international flights from India was 356, while 338 international flights landed at various international airports in the country on March 3.
