Following a report of a bomb threat on board, Iranian carrier Mahan Air’s aircraft from Tehran to Guangzhou landed safely and on schedule at its Chinese destination, according to Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency on Monday.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) said that it had sent fighter planes into action after learning of a bomb fear aboard an aeroplane with Iranian registration that was flying above Indian airspace.
The air force said that it later got information from Tehran, the capital of Iran, telling it to dismiss the bomb alarm and let the aircraft proceed.
“Our Airbus 340 passenger jet was flying from Tehran to Guangzhou in China when the pilot became aware of the potential for an in-flight explosive and immediately alerted the appropriate authorities. The aeroplane completed its voyage in complete safety when the Mahan operation control centre determined that the threat was false, according to a statement from Mahan Air.
The statement said, “It appears that claims of a bomb on board the airliner during current international and local conditions were intended to disturb security and tranquilly.
Iran has had widespread anti-government rallies over the past three weeks in response to the murder in police custody of a young lady who was detained for defying the Islamic Republic’s stringent clothing code.
Two airports in north-western India were made available to the Iranian airliner, which was being tracked by Indian fighters at a safe distance.
The IAF released a statement in which it stated that the pilot “expressed his refusal to divert to any of the two airports.”
According to FlightRadar24 data, Mahan Air aircraft W581 from Tehran to Guangzhou made a few circle passes over northern India to the west of New Delhi before continuing on to Myanmar.
The number of the flight for which fighter planes were dispatched was not confirmed by an IAF official.
