UFO Alert in Istanbul Airspace

In the last three days, pilots operating in Istanbul airspace have reported sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) on their radar systems, leading to growing concerns within the aviation community.

According to the Demirören News Agency, pilots flying into Sabiha Gökçen Airport received alerts from the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), prompting authorities to initiate a comprehensive search in the affected area. Despite these efforts, officials have been unable to identify the source of the alerts.

Search Operations Yield No Results

The pilots who received the alerts promptly notified air traffic controllers, resulting in coordinated search operations across air, sea, and land. While some pilots speculated that the alerts might be linked to a drone or a vessel at sea, search teams have yet to find any conclusive evidence.

Radio communications between pilots and air traffic control underscored the urgency of the situation. One pilot reported, “We received a traffic alert at 300 feet during our final approach. It could be a drone or another aircraft. Just for your information.”

The control tower’s response indicated that similar alerts had been reported earlier: “Sir, we have been dealing with this for the past two and a half hours. Several flights before you have also received this alert. We have reported it to the coastal authorities.”

Another pilot added, “We see traffic descending 500 feet below us. It appears as unidentified traffic on our system. It is currently 5 miles ahead of us. We received this alert on our previous flight as well.”

The cover photo is for illustrative purposes.