Shutdown of Airport in India

January, 2024 - An unidentified flying object (UFO) was sighted near Bir-Tikendrajit International Airport in Manipur, India, causing a significant disruption to commercial flights. The white object, which some witnesses likened to a drone, hovered over the airport’s air traffic control tower and nearby areas for approximately an hour and a half.

As a result, the airport operations were halted for over three hours, and a notice to Airmen of Airspace Closure was issued. An Indigo flight from Kolkata to Imphal was diverted to Guwahati, another from Delhi to Imphal to Kolkata, and three additional flights were grounded.

The Indian Air Force deployed Rafale fighter aircraft to investigate, but after an hour and a half of scanning, the object disappeared, and normal operations resumed around 6 pm.

Over 24 hours later, the nature and origin of the object remained unclear. Speculations arose regarding potential threats or espionage, particularly due to Imphal’s proximity to China, a nation with a history of deploying spy balloons and interfering with India’s northeastern states.

However, no conclusive evidence has linked the incident to any foreign adversary, leaving the identity and intent of the UFO a mystery.