GAZIANTEP, TURKIYE: At least 18 flights were suspended for 12 hours following the suspected sighting of an unidentified flying object (UFO) by a passenger aircraft radar in southeastern Turkey on Saturday, reported Turkish news agency Anadolu.
A commercial aircraft, which landed at the airport around midnight, reported that it had spotted on its radar an unidentified object at a height of 2,743.2 metres (9,000 feet) over the city of Gaziantep, said the authorities.
Upon receiving the report from the pilot, air traffic control authorities ordered all scheduled flights to be diverted to airports in Adana and Sanliurfa instead.
Turkish news website Habertürk, meanwhile, reported that the unidentified object was also confirmed by air traffic controllers.
It said that following the incident, 26 flights from Gaziantep Airport, 13 of which were departures and 13 arrivals, were cancelled.
However, it said that based on received from Gaziantep Airport State Airports Authority (DHMI), a NOTAM (Notice to airman), was not issued over the incident.
A NOTAM is a notice filed with aviation authorities to alert aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the flight.
The report said flights at Gaziantep Airport resumed 12 hours later.
Source: The Straits Time