New Delhi: Indian Air Force fighter aircrafts were scrambled from Jodhpur and Punjab to intercept an Iranian passenger aircraft following reports that a bomb was on board.
The bomb threat was received when the plane, headed to China, entered Indian airspace on Monday.
According to a statement issued by the IAF, the aircraft was allowed to continue on its flight towards China after Iranian agencies asked the officials to disregard the threat.
Inputs were received by security agencies in Delhi about the possibility of a bomb on board, which triggered an alert.
Mahan Air contacted the Delhi airport’s Air Traffic Control after the airline received a bomb threat for an immediate landing there, an ATC source said.
The Iranian passenger aircraft asked for landing at New Delhi airport but the authorities here refused permission to land in Delhi and instead told the aircraft pilot to land at either Jaipur or Chandigarh.
When the Mahan Air plane refused the landing options given to it, the Indian Air Force jets were scrambled, maintaining a safe distance as per the standard operating procedures and shadowing the suspected aircraft.
However, the aircraft was allowed to continue on its flight towards China after Iranian agencies asked to disregard the threat. The IAF aircrafts continued to follow it closely till the time it left Indian airspace.
The IAF said in a statement that the Iranian aircraft had the option to land at Jaipur and then at Chandigarh, but the pilot declared his unwillingness to divert to either of the two airports.
“The aircraft was under close radar surveillance by the Indian Air Force throughout the Indian airspace,” it said.
Mahan Air in a statement said: “Flight W581 has safely landed and on time in China.”