Red Sea: That’s why several planes turned back

Last weekend, an Austrian Airlines flight turned back over the Red Sea, and an Air France flight failed to reach its destination a total of three times during this time – they also returned to their departure point over the Red Sea or in the region.

While Austrian Airlines told the industry portal “Aerotelegraph” that a permit to enter the airspace that was not granted by Eritrea for unknown reasons led to the cancellation, Air France gave a different reason.

The flights to Mauritius, Antananarivo and Nairobi returned to Paris because one of the crews “observed a luminous object at high altitude in the Sudan region”. The airline tells “Aerotelegraph” this. For this reason, it was decided not to fly over the Red Sea region “until further notice”. The route of some flights will be adjusted because “the safety of customers and crews is our top priority.”

In its statement, Air France simultaneously denied reports that a missile had been fired at one of its planes. However, Madagascar politician Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, who was on board flight AF934, said a plane flying ahead had flown past a missile. There is no evidence for his statement.

The region around the Red Sea has been tense for several years. The Rapid Support Forces are fighting in Sudan, with support from the Wagner Group mercenary group from Russia and soldiers from Libya, the United Arab Emirates, Chad and the Central African Republic.

At the same time, a civil war is raging in Yemen. The country receives support from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan. The government in Yemen is fighting the Houthi rebels. Since the beginning of the year, they have attacked merchant ships using several drones, missiles and speedboats. Since then, the Red Sea has been avoided by large shipping companies by sea.

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