The plane, which had been hired by the US air force to carry supplies for its soldiers in Afghanistan, had entered the Indian defence airspace on Friday.
The entire confusion that resulted in the force-landing at Mumbai airport was because the plane had filed flight plan under different categories for Indian and Pakistan airspace. On June 20, the AN-124 transport aircraft of Volga-Dnepr, a Russian cargo airline, was cleared by the Indian defence authorities and it took from Mumbai airport at 10 pm.
The plane, which had been hired by the US air force to carry supplies for its soldiers in Afghanistan, had entered the Indian defence airspace on Friday and subsequently asked to land at Mumbai airport due to suspicion over the nature of the flight. “The entire problem was caused by the faulty flight plan filed by the airline,” said an official from the Mumbai air traffic control (ATC).
In the flight plan filed by the aircraft, wherein it had to indicate the airspace it will be flying through, the airline had provided a dual status for the plane. “For Indian airspace, it had stated that it was a civilian aircraft. But for Pakistan airspace, it stated it was a military aircraft,” said the official.
A flight plan is normally submitted by the airline a few hours before take-off to the various ATCs and defence authorities whose services and airspace the aircraft will use. For civilian flights (airlines), the director general of civil aviation (DGCA) issues a YA number to the plane; when it is using the defence airspace, the military liaison unit (MLU) issues an ADC number for the identification of the plane. “In this case the plane had a YA number but no ADC number. So, after a thorough verification, the IAF issued an AOR number to the airline and it was allowed to leave Indian soil on Saturday evening,” he said.
A flight plan is normally submitted by the airline a few hours before take-off to the various ATCs and defence authorities whose services and airspace the aircraft will use.
For civilian flights (airlines), the director general of civil aviation (DGCA) issues a YA number to the plane; when it is using the defence airspace, the military liaison unit (MLU) issues an ADC number for the identification of the plane. “In this case the plane had a YA number but no ADC number. So, after a thorough verification, the IAF issued an AOR number to the airline and it was allowed to leave Indian soil on Saturday evening,” he said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}