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A Chennai-London flight returned mid-way due to Iranian airspace closure after the US attacked Iran. The British Airways flight, delayed by 40 minutes, had 206 passengers onboard.
After entering the Arabian Sea region, the pilots received the inputs regarding the airspace closure over Iran. (Representative image / PTI)
As Middle East crisis deepened further with the United States launching attack on Iran, a Chennai-London flight had to return mid-way due to closure of Iranian airspace, on Sunday morning.
US President Donald Trump has struck three nuclear sites in Iran.
The British Airways flight which was originally scheduled to depart at 05:35 IST, took off nearly 40 minutes behind schedule at 06:24 with 206 flyers.
After entering the Arabian Sea region, the pilots received the inputs regarding the airspace closure over Iran.
Acting swiftly, the plane crew decided to return, alerting the Chennai air traffic control. The aircraft touched down safely at 8:50am and was moved to a parking bay by 9:20am.
Later, British Airways confirmed that the plane took a U-turn due to Iranian airspace closure.
Meanwhile, after deboarding, the flyers were provided with refreshments in the terminal.
Media reports, citing airport sources, mentioned the aircraft would be refuelled and depart again around 10:30am, with a revised route, avoiding Iranian airspace.
The airspace closure has also impacted several Middle East-bound flights from Chennai. Departures to Kuwait, Doha, Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi were delayed by more than an hour.
A Kuwait Airways flight originally scheduled to leave for Kuwait at 3:30am left at 5:40am whereas a Doha-bound Qatar Airways flight and a Dubai-bound Emirates flight were each delayed by approximately an hour.
Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com’s general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18…Read More
Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com’s general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18… Read More
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