SpiceJet's Dubai flight returns to Pune
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Pune: The closure of airspace in the Gulf, including that of Qatar and the UAE, resulted in a Dubai-bound SpiceJet flight returning to the city a short while after take-off on Monday evening.
The SpiceJet flight (SG-51) had taken off from the city at 9.54pm. "It returned to Pune because of the airspace closure," a spokesperson of the airline said.
According to sources, the flight had close to 100 passengers. The Pune airport has two connections to Dubai— one of SpiceJet and the other of IndiGo. The latter flies at 12.50am.
A flyer wrote on social media that the flight was on air for a very short while before the "turnback" was announced.
"Many other passengers and I didn't understand the reason for a while, but later came to know about it," he wrote.
The IndiGo spokesperson didn't respond to TOI's WhatsApp message enquiring about its Pune-Dubai flight, but a message of the airline on X said, "In view of the evolving situation in the Middleeast, some of our flights may experience delays or diversions. These adjustments are being made to ensure operations remain within safe and compliant airspace. We recommend checking your flight status regularly. If your flight is impacted, options can be easily explored through our website.
We continue to monitor the situation closely in coordination with the relevant authorities. We appreciate your patience and understanding."
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