Emirates flight in air for three hours, unable to land at VIA due to bad weather

Mar 2, 2025, 11:28 AM
Photo from Flight Radar website shows route of EK-653 on Saturday night.

Photo from Flight Radar website shows route of EK-653 on Saturday night.

A flight from Colombo to Male' has circled in the air for three hours, unable to land on Saturday night due to severe weather conditions.

According to the Flight Radar website, Emirates Flight EK-653 had to fly over Maldivian airspace for three hours.

The plane was unable to land at Velana International Airport (VIA) due to bad weather.

It finally landed at VIA at 12:05 am after spending a total of four hours in the air, including one hour to travel from Colombo to Male'.

Maldives Meteorological Service (Met Office) issued an orange alert for the central region, including Male' and VIA, on Saturday night.

Heavy rains caused flooding in large parts of Male'. However, the Met Office has not yet released the details of the rainfall recorded in the capital.

About 40 people were evacuated to temporary shelters, and the government declared a public holiday for Sunday due to the flooding.

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