CHENNAI: A British Airways flight from Chennai to London was forced to return mid-air on Sunday morning, following the closure of Iranian airspace after reported US strikes on nuclear sites in Iran. The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 05:35 IST, took off nearly 40 minutes behind schedule at 06:24 with 206 passengers on board. After crossing Indian airspace and entering the Arabian Sea region, the pilots received information regarding the airspace closure over Iran.
In response, the crew decided to turn back and alerted Chennai air traffic control. The aircraft landed safely at 08:50 and was moved to a parking bay by 09:20.
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British Airways confirmed that the aircraft returned to Chennai due to the closure of Iranian airspace. Passengers were deboarded and provided with refreshments in the terminal. Airport sources said the aircraft would be refuelled and depart again around 10:30, with a revised route that avoids Iranian airspace.
The airspace disruption also affected several other flights from Chennai to the Middle East. Departures to Kuwait, Doha, Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi were delayed by more than an hour. A Kuwait Airways flight scheduled to leave for Kuwait at 03:30 departed at 05:40. A Qatar Airways flight to Doha and an Emirates service to Dubai were each delayed by approximately an hour.