IndiGo flight 6E33 on Monday, March 9, made a U-turn on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea and is returning to Delhi, according to Flightradar24. The reason for the sudden U-turn was not stated by the airliner.
Flight 6E33, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi 1.33 pm and was en route to Manchester in the United Kingdom (UK). The aircraft reached close to the airspace near the border of Ethiopia before taking a U-turn around mid-flight. The aircraft later re-entered Indian airspace.
The reason for the sudden U-turn remains unclear. Airline officials have not yet issued an official statement explaining the development. Flightradar24 said, “IndiGo flight 6E33 (operated by Norse) made a U-turn on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea and is returning to Delhi. This was the first IndiGo Delhi - Manchester flight since the 26th of Feb.”
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As per Flightradar24's website, the Delhi–Manchester route has a great circle distance of 6,829 km, and the average flight time is about 11 hours. The aircraft took an unusual southern route via the Gulf of Aden and Africa. The routing avoided Middle East airspace due to Iran–Israel tensions.
An IndiGo spokesperson said, “Due to the evolving situation in and around the Middle East, some of our flights may take longer routes or experience diversions. Our flight 6E 033 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. We are working with the relevant authorities to explore the possibilities of resuming the journey. As always, safety and security of our customers, crew and aircraft is of utmost importance to us.”