SpiceJet Carrying 30 Indian Boxers Stays Mid-Air For Half An Hour In UAE Due To Alleged 'Procedural Miscommunication'

The flight, SG142 headed to Dubai for the upcoming 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championship. The tournament starts on Monday and go on till June 1 in Dubai.

SpiceJet

Dubai (UAE): A SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Dubai carrying world champion Mary Kom, Amit Panghal and 30 other members of the Indian boxing contingent, had to stay mid-air over UAE airspace for about half hour due to an alleged procedural miscommunication among relevant authorities.

The flight, SG142 headed to Dubai for the upcoming 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championship.

According to media reports, the arrival wasn't smooth as the SpiceJet flight reported a fuel emergency over landing confusions. Pilots of the aircraft had reported to ATC that the plane is running on a shortage of fuel.

"There was some confusion regarding the approval letter for the trip which was eventually sorted thanks to the intervention of the Indian Embassy in the UAE," PTI quoted a source close to the team.

Almost after delay of half an hour, the flight was allowed to land at Dubai airport. All members of the team were allowed to enter UAE and clear the immigration.

The Boxing Federation of India in an official statement thanked the Indian ambassador to the UAE for his assistance and informed that the Indian contingent has landed in Dubai safely.

"Two rounds of RT-PCR test have been conducted -- one at the airport and the other at the hotel. Indian team flew on SpiceJet flight under the air bubble agreement with all necessary and relevant permissions," the statement read.

Meanwhile, Spicejet spokesperson told ANI, "An Indian boxing contingent travelled on a SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Dubai today. It has reached Dubai safely and all passengers have cleared immigration. Flight and passengers carried proper documents. Flight was not filed as a cargo flight, the information is absolutely wrong. It was a regular passenger flight under the Air Bubble agreement and the same aircraft is bringing passengers to India from Dubai on its return leg."

The tournament starts on Monday and go on till June 1 in Dubai. The draws lined up for Sunday. It is the only major competition that the boxers will get before the July-August Olympics. The tournament was initially scheduled to take place in New Delhi. However, due to international travel restrictions, the tournament had to be shifted to Dubai.