Indian military jets were scrambled on Monday after a bomb alert on an Iranian airliner that turned out to be false, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said.
“IAF fighter aircraft were scrambled, which followed the aircraft at a safe distance. The aircraft was offered the option to land at Jaipur & then, at Chandigarh,”; the IAF said in a statement, referring to two airports in northern India.
The statement said the pilot was unwilling to divert to either airport, and that instructions were later received to disregard the threat.
“After a while, intimation was received from Tehran to disregard the bomb scare, following which, the aircraft continued on its journey towards its final destination,”; the statement said.
The Airbus A340 operated by Iranian carrier Mahan Air, with a capacity of between 320 and 475 passengers, was headed from the Iranian capital Tehran to Guangzhou in China.
Flight tracker websites showed that the aircraft performed several mid-air circles west of the Indian capital New Delhi before heading east towards its final destination.
