DUBAI // A flydubai plane bound for Dubai from Afghanistan on Friday was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Iran.
The jet, which took off from Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, carrying about 100 passengers, most of whom were American military contractors, was diverted to Bandar Abbas.
Mohammad Ali Ilkhani, head of the Iranian Airports Organisation, said the plane had been forced to make the diversion because of errors in its flight plan.
“The flight information was incorrect and to be sure there was no problem, we asked the pilot to land,” Mr Ilkhani said. “We interviewed the pilot and verified his flight documents. He was then allowed to leave.”
Mr Ilkhani said Iranian airport officials had been unaware that Americans were aboard the flight.
The US state department denied reports that Iran had scrambled fighter jets and forced the plane to land. “We have nothing to indicate there was more to it,” deputy US state department spokesperson, Marie Harf, said.
A flydubai spokesman confirmed the incident and said the flight had been delayed leaving Afghanistan by almost three hours.
“Flydubai charter flight FZ4359 departed from Kandahar two hours and 55 minutes late. En route to Dubai, the aircraft was diverted to Bandar Abbas and the aircraft subsequently landed in Dubai at 2.59am local time on September 6, with a total delay of nine hours and 57 minutes.”
An Iranian official said the flight was forced to land in Iran to pay expenses and complete paperwork.
Mansour Haghighatpour, a member of the parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, said: “Americans should know that Iran strongly defends its territory on land, sea and air. They should observe international measures in this regard. Otherwise they will face such an attitude.”
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Flydubai flight bound for Dubai forced to land in Iran before continuing on its journey | The National
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