Unknown flying object affects flight services in Manipur
Imphal, Nov 18: Normal flight services at Manipur's Imphal International Airport were affected on Sunday afternoon over sighting of an unidentified flying object (UFO), officials said.
Two flights were diverted and three others delayed. Services normalised after around three hours.
"Due to sighting of an unidentified flying object within Imphal controlled airspace, two flights have been diverted and three departing flights have been delayed. Flight operations commence after receipt of clearance from the competent authority," a statement issued by Airport Director Chipemmi Keishing said.
An official of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) said they received a message from the CISF at 2.30 pm, informing them that a UFO was found near the airport.
"The UFO was visible with bare eyes moving westwards of the airfield till 4 pm," the official said.
The diverted flights included an Indigo flight from Kolkata which was initially instructed "to hold overhead" and was diverted to Guwahati after 25 minutes.
The delayed flights however left Imphal airport after receiving clearance late after around three hours.
The Indian Air Force Eastern Command at Shillong was informed of the development, the official said.
Manipur is bordered by Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam, besides sharing an international border with Myanmar to its east.
Eastern Air Command IAF tweets, "IAF activated its Air Defence response mechanism based on visual inputs from Imphal airport. The small object was not seen thereafter." https://t.co/wRO6Kvh7fU pic.twitter.com/E2DwO4oM4v
— ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2023
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Low visibility prevents PM’s helicopter from landing in Taherpur, Modi returns to Kolkata airport
Kolkata (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s helicopter failed to land at the Taherpur helipad in West Bengal owing to low visibility on account of dense fog in the area on Saturday, an official said.
The PM’s chopper made a U-turn after hovering over the helipad ground for a while and returned to the Kolkata airport, he said.
Till reports last received, the Prime Minister was waiting at the airport for further updates on the weather situation.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Modi would reach the rally venue district by road or whether he would wait for the weather to clear up and make another attempt to reach Taherpur by the aerial route, the official said.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister reached Kolkata at around 10.40 am and took a chopper onward to Taherpur in Nadia district, where he is scheduled to hold an administrative programme to launch highway projects in West Bengal, followed by a political rally of the BJP, titled Parivartan Sankalpa Sabha, which he is supposed to address.
