Imphal Airport
There was a stir after an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was seen in the Imphal airport area of Manipur on Sunday. After that Imphal airport of Manipur was put on alert. For this reason the airport was closed for four hours in the afternoon. Following the alert, two flights were diverted and three flights were delayed. Security officials are on alert after the incident at Imphal’s Bir Tikendrajit International Airport.
Due to sighting of an unidentified flying object within Imphal controlled airspace, two flights have been diverted and flights have been delayed. This object was first seen by a CISF jawan in the afternoon.
Sources say that as a result, some flight operations were disrupted. About three flights to Agartala, Guwahati and Kolkata were suspended till 6 pm. Finally flight services started at 6 pm.
Imphal airport remained closed for four hours
Imphal International Airport Director Chipemmi Keeshing issued a statement saying, “Due to the sighting of an unidentified flying object within the Imphal controlled airspace, two flights have been diverted and three departing flights have been delayed. Later flight services started.”
An Air Traffic Control (ATC) official said they received a message from the CISF at 2.30 pm, informing them that an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was flying near the airport.
A drone that was very small in appearance was spotted by security personnel at Imphal Airport on Sunday at 3 pm. An alert was issued to other agencies at the airport and operations were postponed till security clearance. Three flights were affected due to the security clearance.
— ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2023
The incoming IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Imphal was instructed to fly overhead until clearance was received from security agencies, CISF and SP Imphal West. Three planes were waiting for instructions and waited for more than three hours.
One IndiGo flight number 6E5118 (Delhi to Imphal) was diverted towards Kolkata and another IndiGo flight number 6E275 (Kolkata to Imphal) was diverted towards Guwahati. Meanwhile, after a delay of more than three hours, Air India flight number AI 890 was allowed to take off from Imphal to Guwahati.
Airlines affected, many flights diverted
According to airport technical staff and air traffic control members, the drone was spotted around 2:30 pm, after which three flights were asked to stop taking off.
The development comes soon after the Manipur government extended the ban on internet services by five days till November 23 in view of the adverse law and order situation in the violence-hit state.
Let us tell you that about 200 people have been killed since the ethnic conflict between two tribal groups, Kukis and Meiteis, started in Manipur from May 3 in protest of the Meitei community’s demand for granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
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Source: www.tv9hindi.com”
