NEW DELHI – Indian authorities halted flight operations after reports emerged of an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) near an airport in Manipur on Sunday.
The sighting which occurred around 2:30 pm local time triggered security alerts and suspension of operations at Imphal’s Bir Tikendrajit International Airport and officials say that the object was visible to the naked eye but disappeared soon afterward.
The matter was highlighted so much that the Indian Air Force activated its Air Defence response, although no further evidence was found. The incident forced the diversion of two flights from the airport and the delay of three departing flights before the operation was resumed.
“Due to the sighting of an unidentified flying object within Imphal controlled airspace, two flights have been diverted and three departing flights have been delayed. Flight operations commence after receipt of clearance from the competent authority,” Airport Director Chipemmi Keishing explained.
Fighter jets from Hashimara airbase were also deployed, conducting extensive searches but ultimately found no trace of the reported UFO.
“Soon after information about the UFO near the Imphal airport was received, a Rafale fighter aircraft from a nearby airbase was scrambled to go and search for the UFO,” a defence official was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The severity of the matter could be ascertained from the fact that the investigation operations lasted for several hours and flights at the airport resumed operations only after 5.30 pm after clearance from the IAF.
