Flying Objects near Runway, Functioning at Imphal Airport suspended for over Three Hours
NEW DELHI, Nov 19: Three flights taking off from Imphal airport were held back and asked to wait while two incoming flights to Manipur’s capital city were diverted to Kolkata and Guwahati after the air traffic controllers noticed an unidentified flying object near the Imphal runway on Sunday afternoon.
The stalemate at the airport continued for over three hours and the authorities immediately closed the “controlled airspace” and stopped all flight operations. Some 1,000 passengers were affected by the airspace closure, sources said. A senior airport official said the “fairly large” object was seen flying for over an hour over the runway.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) handed over the airspace control to the Indian Air Force (IAF) till the IAF gave the all-clear to restore the airspace for commercial flight operations. The air traffic control (ATC) and people on the ground saw the drones around 2 pm, after which the three flights – two Air India, and an IndiGo flight – were told not to take off while two incoming flights were diverted.
It was not immediately clear about the object seen near the runway but was suspected to be drones. The incident was seen as disturbing amid the tension in Manipur following months of ethnic violence between the hill-majority Kuki tribes and the valley-majority Meiteis. Several groups had used drones during the violence. In neighbouring Myanmar too, the junta forces have been launching airstrikes against Chin State rebels along the border with India.
Imphal airport director Chipemmi Keishing in a statement confirmed the sighting of the drone. The officer said all the three flights took off after the “competent authority” gave security clearance. Many passengers said they had been inside the airport and some even inside the aircraft for over three hours from 3 pm, until the flights took off one after another around 6.15 pm.
“Boarding was completed by 3 pm, but we finally got the take-off clearance at 6.10 pm. Passengers were worried and some elderly people anxious, but everyone was extremely cooperative and patient,” a woman who boarded an Air India flight to Delhi said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
