The main airport in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, was the scene of an extraordinary drama on Sunday as thousands of Zelaya supporters gathered outside in anticipation of his announced arrival.
But soldiers blocked the runway with a military vehicle and refused the aircraft carrying Zelaya and his close aides permission to land.
Zelaya told Venezuelan network Telesur from his aircraft that the pilot flew low and circled around the airport but decided that landing was "totally impossible".
Military aircraft were in the flight path and soldiers and military vehicles were blocking the runway, he said.
After vowing to try again to re-enter Honduras on Monday or Tuesday, Zelaya headed to El Salvador to discuss his next move with other Latin American leaders.