The Mahan Air flight on its way from Tehran in Iran to Guangzhou in China (File)
A bomb scare on board an Iranian passenger flight, while it was in Indian airspace, put authorities on alert this morning, prompting the Indian Air Force to scramble fighter jets.
The Mahan Air plane, on its way from Tehran in Iran to Guangzhou in China, was offered two options to land in India which it refused and continued its journey, the Air Force said.
The fighter jets followed the aircraft at a safe distance, they said in a statement. The aircraft has now entered the Chinese airspace, showed flight tracking website Flightradar.
A call regarding the bomb threat on the flight was received at 9:20 am, said police. The Delhi airport was subsequently put on alert.
"The aircraft was offered the option to land at Jaipur and then, at Chandigarh. However, the pilot declared his unwillingness to divert to either of the two airports," said the Indian Air Force.
The aircraft continued its journey towards its destination in China after it was asked by Tehran to disregard the bomb scare, according to their statement.
"All actions were taken by IAF as per the laid down procedure, jointly with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The aircraft was under close radar surveillance by the Air Force throughout the Indian airspace," it said.
The Lahore Air Traffic Control had given the input over the alleged bomb threat to the Delhi ATC, reported news agency PTI.