Bomb threat on China-bound Iranian flight over Indian airspace, IAF jets scramble to intercept aircraft

An aircraft flying toward New Delhi airspace with its origin in Iran and destination in China was intercepted by Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter fighters.

According to authorities, Delhi Police received information regarding a bomb threat on board a Mahan Air flight leaving Tehran, Iran, for Guangzhou, China, at 9:20 am. 

Air Traffic Control (ATC) advised the plane to divert to Jaipur after an alarm was raised and authorization was not granted for the plane to land in Delhi. According to reports, the Indian Air Force sent out fighters to intercept and accompany the airliner after the captain reportedly refused to divert the aircraft.

When the pilot received the alert from Indian Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft had already entered Indian airspace.

The Iranian aircraft temporarily decreased altitude above the Delhi-Jaipur airspace before departing Indian territory, according to Flightradar24, a Swedish internet site that displays real-time aircraft flight tracking data on a map.

Although the exact nature of the bomb threat is still unknown, the aircraft has now left Indian airspace and is under close security agency surveillance. Security authorities in Delhi reportedly got information about the potential presence of a bomb, which led to an alarm and the denial of permission for the plane to land in Delhi, according to sources.