Flight providers at Imphal International Airport in Manipur skilled disruptions on Sunday afternoon following the sighting of an unidentified flying object (UFO), ensuing within the diversion of two flights and delays for 3 others. Normal operations resumed after roughly three hours.
Airport Director Chipemmi Keishing issued an announcement explaining the state of affairs: “Due to the sighting of an unidentified flying object within Imphal controlled airspace, two flights have been diverted, and three departing flights have been delayed. Flight operations commenced after receiving clearance from the competent authority.”
“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. The flight operations resumed at 5.30 pm,” stated airport sources as quoted by information company ANI.
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The Air Traffic Control (ATC) acquired a message from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at 2:30 pm, alerting them to the presence of a UFO close to the airport. An ATC official acknowledged that the UFO was seen with the bare eye, shifting westwards of the airfield till 4 pm.
Among the affected flights was an IndiGo flight from Kolkata, initially instructed to “hold overhead” earlier than being diverted to Guwahati after a 25-minute delay. The delayed flights finally departed from Imphal airport after receiving clearance, marking the top of the disruption.
In response to the incident, the Indian Air Force Eastern Command at Shillong was knowledgeable, highlighting the seriousness with which authorities handled the UFO sighting. Manipur, bordered by Nagaland, Mizoram, and Assam, shares a global border with Myanmar to its east, additional emphasizing the necessity for vigilance within the area’s airspace. The mysterious incident has prompted discussions about enhancing monitoring and preparedness for related occurrences sooner or later.
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