Security Scare: KA aircraft flies over PM's home

A Kuwaiti Airways aircraft today inadvertently deviated from its flight path after take-off from the IGI airport here, and moved towards the no-fly zone causing scare among the securty establishment as the plane approached the Prime Minister's House.

The pilot, however, corrected course following warnings by air traffic control, official sources said, adding that the airline had tendered an apology for the "inadvertent mistake".

The sources said the aircraft, which took off at 0615 hours, turned left instead of right, which was its scheduled flight path.

"The chapter is closed", the sources said, adding that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation would enquire into the matter.

The diversion of the flight caused scare among the security agencies as it followed a number of recent warnings received by aviation and security agencies about possible terrorist attacks on vital installations including airports as well as threats of hijack. This is the second such instance of an aircraft entering the no-fly zone in the past few months.

DGCA had, only yesterday, sent an urgent advisory to put all airports in the country on high alert following a warning from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that flights from the country to the United States or Europe could be the targets of terrorists.

The FBI alert came days after an anonymous letter in Tiruchirapalli airport recently that warned of terror attacks on airports in south India.

The FBI had received an e-mail alert from an internet centre in Chennai that a flight emanating from India, bound for either Europe or the US, might be hijacked. Indian airports have been on alert since the serial Mumbai train blasts in July.

The FBI asked Indian authorities for a thorough profiling of passengers bound for the US besides increased baggage and personal checks and extra apron security.