Jet Airways plane loses contact with ATC over German airspace

A Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to London, with more than 300 people, triggered a major scare when it lost contact with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) after getting intercepted by German fighter jets. The flight then had to be escorted by German Air Force fighter planes before it landed.

The contact was eventually re-established through an SOS channel.

"The 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. The communication was safely restored within a few minutes," Jet Airways spokesperson told ANI.

"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 any incident," he added.

Earlier, it was presumed that the aircraft was hijacked by a terrorist group.

Jet Airways has duly reported the matter to the concerned authorities including the DGCA. As part of the standard process, the flight crew of 9W 118 has been de-rostered pending investigation.

The Director General of Civil Aviation has ordered an inquiry. Both the pilots of Jet Airways 9W 118 have also been put off roster till inquiry.

A similar incident happened, back in 2014, when a Jet London-Mumbai flight was reported missing for more than 30 minutes over the German airspace.