The Indian Air Force (IAF) scrambles fighter jets after a bomb threat on an Iranian airline bound for China through Indian airspace on October 3, 2022. The IAF said in a statement that the issue was resolved following a message from Tehran to "ignore the fear of bombs", after which the aircraft continued on its journey.
The statement said that an airline with Iranian registration was reported to have a bomb while passing through Indian airspace. "The fighter jets of the IAF were scuffled, which followed the aircraft at a safe distance."
The aircraft was given the option of landing at Jaipur and then Chandigarh, but the pilot announced his reluctance to fly to either of the airports, the IAF said. "After a short while, a bypassing bomb threat was received from Tehran, after which, the aircraft continued on its journey towards its final destination."
The IAF said that all action was taken per the prescribed procedure jointly with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The aircraft was under close radar surveillance by the Indian Air Force over the entire Indian airspace, the statement said.