Pilot spots 'suspicious' balloon near Mumbai airport, sparks off alert

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Amidst the escalating tension between India and Pakistan, there was a minor scare at Mumbai airport after a pilot spotted a suspicious balloon mid-air on Wednesday afternoon. He immediately reported the same to the authorities following which an alert was issued at the airport. Investigations, however, revealed that there was no cause to worry as the balloon was released by the Navy.

According to report in India Today, two of the pilots reported about the suspicious balloon flying around 25 kilometers away from Mumbai airport before landing the plane. One of the pilots of the Air India flight 628 passed on the information to Air Traffic Control department, who then informed the local police officers and Central agencies.

The flight arrived in Mumbai from Nagpur. Since the balloon was seen just a week after the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on LoC, there was a greater sense of panic. Airports across India, including Mumbai, are already on alert in wake of the same.