'Suspicious' Georgian aircraft forced by IAF to land in Jaipur

A Georgian An-12 cargo aircraft was forced by IAF jets to land at Jaipur airport on Friday after it created alarm by entering Indian air space from an unscheduled point in north Gujarat, official sources said.

The aircraft, belonging to Ukrainian company MotorSich, was heading for Delhi from Karachi when it deviated from its scheduled flight path and did not respond to radio from Indian controllers and security agencies.

Since air routes in the area were closed due to the geopolitical situation between India and Pakistan, the aircraft's entry from an unscheduled point led to the Indian Air Force scrambling its air defence interceptors and they approached towards the unknown aircraft for investigation.

On visual contact, the aircraft was identified as Georgian An-12 flying at 27,000 feet, but it neither responded on the international distress frequency nor to visual signals. However, when challenged, the aircraft responded and informed that it was a non-scheduled flight that left Tbilisi (Georgia) for Delhi via Karachi.

However, it was escorted to Jaipur by the Indian Air Force and after it landed, its two pilots were being questioned by security agencies.

--IANS

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