Imphal airport shut after unidentified drones detected in airspace

Imphal: Bir Tikendrajit International Airport here was ordered to shut flight operations after unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles/drones were detected in the airspace. The aerial vehicles have been detected in the zone since 2:30 pm on Sunday, sources said. Services normalised after around over three hours. While a few flights were cancelled to and from Imphal, other incoming flights turned back from Imphal airspace and diverted to alternative destinations, as per sources.

On the suspension of flight operations, Imphal International Airport Director Chipemmi Keishing issued a statement saying, "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 commence after receipt of clearance from a competent authority". 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 (unidentified flying object) was found near the airport. "The UFO was visible with bare eyes moving westwards of the airfield till 4 pm," the official said.