Intruder US-hired plane to be let off after govt clearance

New Delhi, June 20 (PTI) A US-hired military cargo
aircraft that intruded into Indian airspace and was forced to
land at Mumbai international airport, will take off to
Khandahar in Afghanistan on Saturday after a government
clearance.

The Ukrainian-make AN-124 aircraft, owned by Russian
private airline Volga-Dnepr, "would be allowed to get airborne
again on Saturday" after the External Affairs Ministry gives
the Air Operations Routing (AOR) authority to fly over Indian
airspace, IAF spokesperson Wg Cdr T K Singh told PTI here.

"The aircraft is awaiting clearance and will take off
once it is given by the government," a Mumbai International
Airport Ltd (MIAL) spokesman said in Mumbai.

"The US and the Russian operators have already approached
the Ministry of External Affairs to obtain the AOR authority.
The US has admitted that it was a mistake of the operator from
whom they had hired the aircraft," IAF officials said here.

The AN-124, the largest heavy transport aircraft
manufactured by Ukrainian Antonov company with NATO code name
Condor, was carrying military cargo, which included land
vehicles, equipment and weapons for the US' fight against
terrorism in Afghanistan, they said.

"The aircraft was apparently carrying military cargo for
US armed forces personnel fighting Taliban under Operation
Enduring Freedom. The aircraft, chartered by the US military,
took off from Diego Garcia, a US military base on an island
near Mauritius in the Indian Ocean," the IAF officials said.

The aircraft used for long-range delivery and
air-dropping of troops and heavy military cargo had intruded
into Indian airspace around 2000 hours last evening.

The IAF's South Western Air Command (SWAC) air defence
'Movement Liaison Unit', which noticed the aircraft, activated
the standard operating procedures under which the Air Traffic
Control (ATC)ordered the cargo chartered plane to land at
Mumbai.

No Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jet had scrambled to
escort the intruding aircraft, as it clearly followed ATC
radio calls and landed in Mumbai at 2240 hours, Singh said.

The aircraft was moved to a parking bay at the cargo
terminal, the (Mumbai International Airport Ltd) MIAL
officials said.

IAF officials said there were a total of 18 persons on
board the aircraft, including a five-member crew.

Securitymen from the Central Industrial Security Force
(CISF)had cordoned off the aircraft and sleuths from the
Intelligence Bureau and officials from the Directorate General
of Civil Aviation carried out checks in the plane's cargo
hold. They also questioned the crew and passengers on board
the aircraft, they added.

IAF sources said the AN-124 had been operating on the
same flight plan in the last fortnight and had come under
adverse notice because of its call sign.

"The plane used a civilian aircraft call sign VDA 4466,
whereas its original call sign was REACH 813, which implied it
was a military cargo aircraft," IAF sources said.

"Since obtaining a military clearance for using Indian
airspace by foreign military aircraft is cumbersome...it has
to go through MEA, Intelligence agencies and then IAF...the
operator adopted a short-cut," they added. PTI NCB
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