What happened
On May 8, 2026, Garuda Indonesia flight GA4208, operated by an Airbus A330-900neo (PK-GHI), experienced a 4.5-hour holding pattern over southern India while en route from Jeddah (JED) to Medan (KNO). The flight, which normally takes around 8 hours, took 12 hours and 39 minutes. The hold was caused by the closure of airspace around the Bay of Bengal for the test of India's Agni-6 missile. The article notes that such long holds are rare due to fuel costs and questions whether the airline anticipated the closure or was reacting to it unexpectedly