Kite disrupts flight operations for hours at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport

Thiruvananthapuram: Flight operations were delayed at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Saturday when a kite was spotted flying at an altitude of 200 feet near the runway, causing disruptions to airport operations.

As a result, four flights were diverted, and two were temporarily grounded. The operations of the aviation training centre at the airport were also affected.

The kite was seen flying between the Muttathara Ponmara Palam and Vallakkadavu Sulaiman Street areas, which are close to the airport. Upon receiving the report, emergency safety measures were implemented. Pilots of incoming flights were instructed to perform a "go-around" and circle the airport while departing flights were temporarily delayed.

Around 4:20 PM, Air India Express from Muscat, followed by Air Arabia from Sharjah, Air India from Delhi, and Indigo from Bengaluru, were told to delay their landings until the issue was resolved. Later in the evening, an Air India Express flight to Hyderabad and an Indigo flight to Bangalore were grounded.

The kite eventually landed after two hours, and normal operations resumed. Meanwhile, it remains unclear who was responsible for flying the kite.