Qantas Airways Ltd. has been forced to delay some flights between Australia and South Africa in recent weeks following a warning from the US government about SpaceX rocket debris reentering the Earth’s atmosphere over the Southern Indian Ocean.

One airline said it often gets little notice of when or where it can expect rockets to fall from the sky so flights have been delayed to ensure safety.

Passengers on Qantas flights between Sydney and Johannesburg have encountered unexpected delays recently, with the airline attributing the disruptions to falling rocket debris from Elon Musk ’s SpaceX. The southern Indian Ocean, a region frequently crossed by Qantas flights, has become a designated splashdown zone for re-entering SpaceX rockets.

Qantas has been forced to delay several flights to South Africa due to last minute warnings about SpaceX rocket debris falling from the sky.

The modern space race is causing headaches for Australian travellers at much lower altitudes, and billionaire Elon Musk is at the heart of it.

Qantas has delayed several flights from Sydney to Johannesburg due to falling debris from SpaceX rockets as they re-enter the atmosphere.

Qantas flights between Australia and Africa are being repeatedly delayed by falling space rocket debris. Travellers have been delayed repeatedly in recent weeks, as debris from SpaceX craft falls back to Earth over the southern Indian Ocean.

The incident in which a SpaceX rocket broke up after launch demonstrates the challenges the FAA will face as the number of commercial space flights increases.

No injuries have been reported from falling debris after SpaceX's Starship exploded in the sky over the Bahamas. However, the FAA has halted further test flights while it investigates.