An IndiGo flight travelling from Delhi to Manchester was forced to return to the national capital after flying for nearly seven hours, following immediate airspace restrictions due to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
The flight, 6E33, had taken off from Delhi early Monday morning and was scheduled to reach Manchester in about 11 hours under normal conditions, but turned around close to the Ethiopia–Eritrea border and began its return journey to Delhi, according to flight tracking platform Flightradar24.
However, the service had only recently resumed, marking IndiGo’s first Delhi–Manchester flight since February 26.
Data from Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft had already spent several hours in the air before reversing course.
The route had been planned to avoid the conflict-hit parts of West Asia, but the flight was still affected by rapidly changing airspace rules in the region.
In a statement, an IndiGo spokesperson stated, “Due to the evolving situation in and around the Middle East, some of our flights may take longer routes or experience diversions. Our flight 6E033 operating from Delhi to Manchester had to return to its origin due to last-minute airspace restrictions owing to the ongoing situation in West Asia,” the spokesperson said.
The airline further wrote, “We are working with the relevant authorities to explore the possibilities of resuming the journey. As always, the safety and security of our customers, crew and aircraft remain our top priority,” the spokesperson said.
The disruption comes amid rising instability in West Asia, and tensions escalated after the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran on February 28, reportedly killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, Iran has launched attacks targeting Israel and US military bases in the Gulf, while retaliatory strikes on Iranian sites have also been reported.
With the conflict affecting large sections of regional airspace, airlines around the world have been rerouting or
delaying flights to ensure passenger safety.
