AI diverts Chicago-Delhi flight to avoid “uncontrolled” Afghan airspace

PTI, Aug 16, 2021, 1:15 PM IST

Air India on Monday diverted its Chicago-Delhi flight toward Sharjah in the UAE to avoid Afghanistan airspace after it was declared ”uncontrolled” by authorities at Kabul airport, senior officials said.

The Chicago-Delhi flight will land in Sharjah for refueling purposes, they said. The flight will then leave for Delhi again while avoiding the Afghan airspace.

Afghanistan stares at an uncertain future as President Ashraf Ghani left the country just before Kabul fell into the hands of the Taliban on Sunday.

Senior Air India officials said the Afghanistan airspace has been declared ”uncontrolled” by the Kabul airport on Monday and transit flights have been asked to avoid the airspace.

It is not clear if Air India would be operating its Delhi-Kabul-Delhi flight on Monday.