Gulf shuts airspace, flight operations to Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait disrupted amid rising tensions
Flights from Mangaluru to gulf diverted
Mangaluru: Amidst tensions in the Middle East, an attack on a US air base in Qatar has resulted in the closure of Qatari and Bahraini airspace. This has affected flight operations from different airports across the country to the gulf nations.
Alongside the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait has also reportedly shut its airspace, and several international airlines have redrawn their flight paths. According to data from FlightRadar24 accessed by The Economic Times, multiple global carriers have altered flight paths across the Persian Gulf following US military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, causing widespread disruption to air travel across the region.
Flight tracking data revealed that airspace over Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel remained largely empty, as airlines sought alternative routes. The global aviation monitoring group Safe Airspace has warned of heightened risks due to missile and drone activity, posing serious threats to commercial flights, especially those operated by US carriers.
Operations to Gulf disrupted from Mangaluru airport
Flight services from Mangaluru to Gulf destinations have also been affected. Passengers have been advised to contact their respective airlines to confirm the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
An Air India Express flight bound for Dammam was diverted to Muscat. Meanwhile, an IndiGo flight headed for Abu Dhabi was rerouted and landed in Mumbai, sources confirmed.
A passenger aboard the Dammam-bound flight stated that the aircraft had landed in Muscat, but passengers were not allowed to disembark. "If permission is granted, we will disembark here. Otherwise, the aircraft may refuel and return to Mangaluru," the passenger told Varthabharati.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
England sticking with Key, McCullum and Stokes despite Ashes humbling
London (AP): England is not sacking anybody following the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia.
A review of the tour by the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced within hours of the final match in January, was concluded on Monday. Firing people would “be the easy thing to do,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said but he insisted, "This is not the time to throw everything out."
Managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes kept their jobs after the best England side to go to Australia in 14 years lost the Ashes in 11 days with two games to spare.
“Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take,” Gould said. “I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”
Gould previously was the chief executive of Bristol City soccer club and said the ECB would not follow the same route as soccer's hire-and-fire culture.
“Cricket is a very unique sport in that it takes a team of leadership ... it's not like football where there's a single point of failure or success with a manager," he said. He added the ECB would not “select or deselect management based on a popularity campaign.”
The main criticisms of England's tour were poor preparation, player misbehavior, and selection mistakes.
At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said McCullum and Stokes have not had a “bust up,” they did not want McCullum to “completely change” but “to evolve,” the behavior of some players was “unprofessional,” there will be more consequences for underperforming, and a commitment to “better long-term planning” ahead of major test series.
Some changes were already implemented for the Twenty20 World Cup, where England reached the semifinals. Gould implied that performance saved McCullum.
Key acknowledged that England supporters would be disappointed to see the management team go unpunished.
“I know people want punishment and that people then should be sacked for that,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've gone through some serious pain: Brendon, myself, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've had.”
