NEW DELHI: An Air India flight – AI 1947 – that took off for Kyiv at 7.24am on Thursday from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to bring back Indian nationals looking to leave Ukraine, had to turn back midway after Kyiv’s Boryspil airport was closed for civilian flights due to the onset of a military invasion of the eastern European country by neighbouring Russia.
The Air India flight landed back in Delhi at 12.35pm. Seven crew were on board the plane that was dispatched to bring back Ukraine-based Indians who wanted to leave the country due to escalating tensions and following advisories to do so.
According to airport sources in Delhi, the flight had to turn back when it was overflying Iran at 10 am IST. The decision was taken after Iran’s air traffic control (ATC) informed Air India flight’s pilots about the Ukrainian airspace being closed for civilian airlines.
