CHENNAI: Three Indonesian Air Force planes made an overnight stop in the Chennai airport on Thursday. Officials claimed there was nothing unusual about this.
Airport sources said the three Indonesian aircraft took off from Abu Dhabi and were en route to Indonesia. For reasons not yet clear, the pilots contacted the Indian Air Force control room in Delhi seeking permission for a halt in Chennai. After obtaining clearance, the planes landed one after another in the Chennai airport at 6.30 pm. The flights were made to land in the Old terminal and were parked in the remote bay area.
There were around 35 people on board the three flights, including pilots and Indonesian Air Force personnel. They reportedly remained inside the aircraft and rested overnight. On Friday morning, the three aircraft departed for Indonesia. The first flight took off at 10:04 am, the second at 10:17 am, and the third at 10:40 am.
When asked, airport authorities here clarified that such stopovers were routine. Foreign military aircraft crossing Indian airspace sometimes request landing for unavoidable reasons, such as pilot rest. This is not unusual, officials maintained.