Plane intercepted by Indonesian fighter jets has returned to Singapore

ALL content used in this not-for-profit blog remain the property of their respective owners.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/plane-intercepted-by/1440742.html

The Singapore-registered plane that was intercepted by Indonesian fighter jets on Tuesday (Oct 28) has been released and landed safely at Seletar Airport at 7.18pm on Wednesday (Oct 29).

RANDOM IMAGE

The C90GTi King Air plane is owned by Singapore Technologies (ST) Aerospace and was operated by its pilot training subsidiary, Pacific Flight Services.

It was flying from Sibu Airport in Sarawak to Seletar Airport in Singapore when it was intercepted by the Indonesian jets and ordered to land at the Supadio military airbase in Pontianak, Kalimantan.

The Indonesian military (TNI) said the plane illegally flew into its airspace.

However, a spokesperson for ST Aerospace told Channel NewsAsia that the required approvals had been sought before the flight.

The incident happened during a return route familiarisation training flight for its commercial pilot trainees. The aircraft was passing through a portion of Indonesian airspace, which was part of the filed flight plan, the spokesperson said.

In its most recent statement issued on Wednesday, the company said it was seeking clarification with the authorities on the matter and "will make necessary changes to the flight plan as required".

Officials reportedly questioned the three men on board, who have been named as Singaporean Tan Chin Kia (said to be the pilot), and M Z Heng Chia and Bo Hong (said to be Chinese nationals).

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed that just one Singaporean was on the plane. MFA was in contact with Pacific Flight Services and Indonesian authorities, and its embassy in Jakarta rendered consular assistance.

Viewer video: Indonesian jets scrambled from Batam