On the evening of February 17, flights at an airport in the southern part of Turkey were temporarily suspended due to a sighting of an unidentified flying object (UFO) reported by a pilot in the air.
According to Türkiye Today, this incident occurred in Gaziantep, the sixth-largest city in Turkey. Around 10 p.m. that night, a pilot of an aircraft reported seeing a bright UFO at an altitude of approximately 8,000 to 10,000 feet (2,438 to 3,048 meters).
Gaziantep is the largest city in southern Turkey, near the Syrian border, and is also a famous ancient city. The appearance of this UFO led to a brief disruption of flight operations at the local airport.
Although the object did not appear on radar, it was reported to the aviation authorities. As a precautionary measure, the authorities temporarily suspended flight operations.
Authorities conducted an investigation at the airport and surrounding areas. Once it was confirmed that there was no immediate threat, flight operations resumed approximately 3 hours after the suspension.
A Turkish expert suggested that the light seen by the pilot may have come from a Starlink satellite. However, officials mentioned that it could also have been a drone.
Previously, on May 20, 2023, the airport in Gaziantep was temporarily closed due to a pilot sighting a UFO on the aircraft’s radar.
Following the pilot’s report, the air traffic control tower ordered all flights to divert to Adana and Sanliurfa airports. The airport reopened and flights resumed normal operations after 12 hours.