Jet Airways Plane Goes Off Radar, German Air Force Saves the Day

A Jet Airways passenger aircraft. Image used for representation. (Photo: Reuters)

German Air Force planes escorted a Jet Airways aircraft with over 300 people on board after it lost touch with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) during a flight from Mumbai to London on Thursday, as NDTV reported.

The incident occurred in the German air space prompting their Air Force to escort the plane. However, communication was restored and the flight landed at London’s Heathrow airport without any untoward incident.

Footage posted by the Aviation Herald showed the flight being escorted by two fighter jets - the veracity of which has not been established.

Jet Airways issued a statement on Sunday, without alluding to the video. It said the crew of the flight had been grounded, pending an investigation by the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

"Contact between Jet Airways flight 9W 118, from Mumbai to London Heathrow, of February 16, 2017, and the local ATC, was briefly lost while flying over German airspace," Jet Airways said.

Communication was safely restored within a few minutes. As a precaution, the German Air Force deployed its aircraft to ensure the safety of the flight and its guests. The flight with 330 guests and 15 crew subsequently landed at London without incident...As part of the standard process, the flight crew of 9W 118 has been de-rostered pending investigation.

Aviation Herald reported that the communication blackout occurred when the ATC was handing over the charge to its counterpart in Prague. The Jet Airways pilot chose to communicate on a wrong frequency, according to the website.