Radar blip incident not a serious security lapse: Patel

The radar blip on the flight path of the Prime inister's special plane that created a mid-air scare was caused by an Indian Air Force aircraft and the incident cannot be considered a serious security lapse, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.

The radar blip on the flight path of the Prime inister’s special plane that created a mid-air scare was caused by an Indian Air Force aircraft and the incident cannot be considered a serious security lapse, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Wednesday.

“It was not a serious security lapse, and the flight which was spotted on the path of Prime Minister’s plane was of Indian Air Force. The air force plane (Dornier) was at a reasonable distance from the PMs plane,” he told reporters in Ahmedabad.

“Primary investigation has revealed that there was some mix up in the signals,” Patel, who was here to inaugurate the new domestic arrival building at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, said.

Story continues below this ad

“But, to be sure we are waiting for the detailed investigation report,” he further said.

The special aircraft carrying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a mid-air scare last evening while it was preparing to land at the Delhi airport after the air Traffic Control (ATC) detected the blip on its flight path on the radar screen.

The Boeing 737 landed safely, though delayed by 16 minutes but not before the IGI airport was put on high alert and security officials went into a tizzy.

EAM Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Rubio hold bilateral discussions in New York

India8 min ago

Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar and US Senator Rubio met in New York to discuss the 25% tariff on Indian oil imposed by Trump. This was their first in-person meeting since the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting. India and the US also began talks for a trade agreement, with positive discussions during a recent visit by US trade officials to India.

View all shorts

Live Blog