Aircraft with US military goods forced to land

In Mumbai,an airport source said it has defence equipment on board. “This includes a motor,” he said.

The aircraft is an Antonov AN 124,one of the world’s largest cargo planes and often leased by various countries to carry bulky equipment. It belongs to the private Russian Volga Dnepr airline.

It had been flying on the same route,unchallenged,for two weeks. The IAF raised the sudden objection after it found that in Afghan airspace the aircraft would be given the call sign REACH 813,generally reserved for military aircraft. To fly over India,the aircraft had been granted a civilian flight code and designated VDA 4466.

The IAF asked the Air Traffic Control to make the aircraft land in Mumbai,the only airport in the vicinity that could handle such a massive jet. It landed at 10.32 pm,escorted by two Air Force jets,airport sources said. They said the jets were called in because the Russian aircraft’s pilots were not cooperating initially after being asked to land.

“An An 124 aircraft with Russian marking was made to land at the Mumbai airport by the Indian Air Force Jets. The aircraft was parked in a remote bay and security and immigration agencies are doing the needful,” said an airport spokesperson.

Sources said that the aircraft had a crew of eight who were being questioned by security officials. Only one of the eight speaks English,they said.

A spokesperson for the civil aviation ministry said,“The US Air Force aircraft did not have the required permission to fly over Indian airspace and was made to land in Mumbai”.