BREAKING: Air Serbia Flight Returns to Belgrade After Typhoon Prompts Guangzhou Airport Closure
Air Serbia passengers experienced an unexpected eight-and-a-half-hour flight after their Belgrade to Guangzhou service was diverted back to Nikola Tesla Airport today. The return was necessitated by the closure of Guangzhou airport as Super typhoon Ragasa,currently the strongest storm on Earth this year,approaches the Chinese coast.
The flight, which departed Belgrade just after 7:00 a.m.local time yesterday,had progressed over the Caspian Sea and into Kazakhstan when the decision was made to return to Serbia. Guangzhou Airport has suspended all flights until Wednesday evening, a measure mirrored by airports in nearby Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macau. Cathay Pacific has proactively relocated its aircraft away from the affected region.
While disruptive, such diversions are not rare in air travel. Earlier this year, a Qantas flight from Perth to Paris was forced to return to Australia due to unexpected airspace closures in the Middle East, resulting in a fifteen-hour return journey for passengers.Similarly, a British Airways flight heading across the Atlantic turned back last November, leaving passengers with a nine-hour “flight to nowhere.” These incidents highlight the complexities of international air travel and the priority airlines place on passenger safety in the face of unforeseen circumstances.
