‘PM plane scare not serious’

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel says a security scare faced by PM’s special aircraft was not a serious security lapse, reports Samiran Saha.

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has said a security scare faced by PM Manmohan Singh’s special aircraft on Tuesday was not a serious security lapse.

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A preliminary probe by Civil Aviation authorities shows that a blip on the radar of the aircraft which triggered a state of alert was traced to a malfunction in an IAF Dornier aircraft that sent out a spurious signal, sources said.

The scare happened when the special aircraft was about to touchdown in Delhi on its way back from Ranchi.

“The security of the Prime Minister’s aircraft was not endangered. It was not a serious security lapse....The Air Force plane was at a reasonable distance,” Patel said.