Mid air scare for PM's aircraft

New Delhi, Apr 23: The special aircraft carrying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a mid-air scare while returning to the Capital when the Air Traffic Control(ATC) detected an unidentified blip on the radar, sending security officials in a tizzy.

As the PM's airplane, which was coming from Ranchi was nearing Delhi, the ATC identified a blip on the radar suggesting that a moving object may be chasing the VVIP flight, Airport Authority of India (AAI) sources said. An emergency drill on the ground was quickly put in place while air controllers asked the pilot of the aircraft to hover over the Delhi airspace for 16 minutes before clearing the plane which landed safely, AAI sources said.

The aircraft landed on Runway 28 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Singh was in Ranchi in connection with an official function.

Initial investigation shows image was of a Donier aircraft.

OneIndia News