Indian Air Force fighter jets on Friday, 10 May, forced a Georgian Antonov An-12 heavy cargo plane, which was travelling via Karachi to Delhi, to land at Jaipur airport.
An IAF press release confirmed that the aircraft “did not follow the authorized Air Traffic Services (ATS) route” adding that it was not responding to Radio calls from Indian controlling agencies.
The Additional Commissioner of Police, Jaipur said, “It was a minor route violation, plane was made to land in Jaipur due to security concerns. It wasn't a serious violation, it's been released,” reported ANI.
When the aircraft was first detected, the IAF scrambled its own jets to intercept intercepting, according to the statement. On visual contact, it was identified as a Georgian Antonov An-12, but didn’t respond on the international distress frequency or to visual signals.
However, when challenged, the Antonov responded, saying that it was a non-scheduled aircraft which had taken off from Tbilisi in Georgia and was headed for New Delhi, via Karachi.
The press release also noted that the ATS routes were closed in the region because of the “current geopolitical situation,” referring to the Indo-Pak tension in the region months after an aerial dogfight.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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