Colombo-bound flights of Turkish and Sri Lankan airlines diverted to Thiruvananthapuram—here's why

Colombo-bound flights of Turkish and Sri Lankan airlines were diverted to Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday due to adverse weather conditions, ANI reported.

According to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (TIAL), one of the diverted flights was a Turkish Airlines service from Istanbul, carrying 258 passengers and 10 crew members. The other flight was a Sri Lankan Airlines flight from Dammam in Saudi Arabia with 188 people onboard, comprising 8 crew members, PTI reported.

TIAL said both aircraft landed safely at Thiruvananthapuram around 7 AM, and once conditions improved in Colombo, they departed at 8:38 AM and 8:48 AM, respectively.

Jaffna-bound flight cancelled due to bad weather

In related news, an aircraft carrying 44 passengers and headed for Jaffna on Saturday was rerouted to Tiruchirappalli due to poor weather in the northern Sri Lankan city, according to PTI. Since the weather failed to improve and the delay stretched to more than three hours, the airline eventually cancelled the service, according to the sources quoted by PTI.

The flight, operated by a private carrier, took off at 10:20 AM, and shortly after departure, the pilot was alerted to the “adverse weather conditions in Jaffna,” they mentioned. The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Tiruchirappalli. “Right now the plane has landed safely in Tiruchirappalli with all the passengers. The flight will resume its journey once the weather is clear in Jaffna.”

Delhi to Bengaluru Air India flight diverted to Bhopal

Meanwhile, an Air India flight travelling from Delhi to Bengaluru was diverted to Bhopal following a suspected technical problem that was detected mid-air, the airline said on Tuesday. The aircraft, operating as flight AI2487, landed safely in Bhopal, where it is undergoing precautionary inspections that are expected to require additional time for rectification, the airline’s spokesperson stated, according to ANI.

The spokesperson added, “Air India regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers by this unforeseen situation. Our ground team at Bhopal has been providing immediate assistance and support to the passengers. Every effort is being made to fly the passengers to their destination at the earliest.”

The airline emphasised that the safety and well-being of its passengers and crew remain its highest priority.

San Francisco–Delhi makes precautionary landing

In other news, an Air India San Francisco–Delhi service made a precautionary landing in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, after the flight crew suspected a technical issue during the journey, the airline said in a statement.

Passengers on the Air India flight bound for New Delhi via Kolkata were offloaded and provided hotel accommodations, according to a statement from an Air India spokesperson.

In a post on X, the statement said, “AI174 of 02 November 2025, operating from San Francisco to Delhi, had made a precautionary landing at Ulaanbaatar International Airport in Mongolia. With the help of our partners and local authorities, Air India has extended immediate assistance to the passengers. They were served meals on board and disembarked."

“Hotel arrangements have been made for their stay after clearing immigration procedures at the airport, while Air India makes alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination, Delhi, at the earliest. Air India sincerely regrets the inconvenience to passengers arising from this unforeseen diversion, which was undertaken in the interest of safety. Every effort is being made to minimise the inconvenience,” the statement further said.