Air India flight returns to Delhi as Ukraine closes airspace citing ‘high risk’ to safety
By Team Newsable | First Published Feb 24, 2022, 11:38 AM IST“The provision of air traffic services to civilian users of the airspace of Ukraine is suspended,” Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise said on its website.
An Air India flight that had gone to Ukraine to bring back stranded Indians has returned to Delhi due to Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs) at Kyiv as it closed its airspace amid Russian military operations in its eastern breakaway areas.
Thousands of Indians are waiting to fly back home from Ukraine amid a conflict with Russia.
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“The provision of air traffic services to civilian users of the airspace of Ukraine is suspended,” Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise said on its website.
“We will additionally inform about changes in the use of Ukraine’s airspace,” the agency added, without providing further details.
Also read: Ukraine imposes martial law after Russia invades
Eurocontrol, which coordinates air traffic in Europe, said that Ukraine’s airspace was not available because of military restrictions.
With large-scale military operations unfolding in eastern Ukraine, commercial flights would be at a very high risk due to the chaotic nature of the airspace, which would likely be crowded with military anti-aircraft activity.
The second flight from Delhi to Ukraine was airborne at 7:41 am on Thursday. The first flight from Ukraine had returned on Tuesday at 11:40 pm, carrying 240 passengers. The flight, AI 1946, had taken off from Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv at around 6 pm (Indian Standard Time), and landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 11.40 pm.
Also read: Dramatic videos surface of Russian bombardment in Ukraine
Shortly after Putin sent more Russian troops into Ukraine, there were reports of capital city Kyiv and another region Kharkiv being hit by missile strikes. Explosions were also heard in the city of Odesa. A Reuters news agency witness confirmed hearing the explosions after the military operation was authorised by the Russian President.
A 24-hour helpline has been set up for Indians in Ukraine.
Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan on Tuesday said it had no plans to operate flights to Ukraine. Some other airlines that had plans to fly to Ukraine on demand would likely not go now since the eastern European nation’s airspace has been closed
Also read: Explosions heard in Ukraine’s Kyiv, Kharkiv minutes after Russia’s Putin declares ‘military op’
Also read: Ukraine crisis and a phone call that ended in silence
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