Sun, May 25, 2008
Fighters Scrambled After Aircraft Failed To Identify
Itself
A private aircraft carrying Former British prime minister Tony
Blair was intercepted by Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighters last week
after the flight crew failed to respond to air traffic control
calls to identify itself.
The Jerusalem Post reported IAF fighters were following standard
protocol designed to protect Israel's skies Wednesday when two
aircraft were scrambled to meet and attempt to identify the jet
when it crossed into Israeli airspace. The fighters
positioned above the jet and were able to establish contact with
the flight crew and identify the aircraft and its prominent
passenger.
An official reported the flight crew informed the fighters that
Blair's aircraft apparently had a technical malfunction and could
not hear the Israeli air traffic controller's calls. Israel
requires all planes entering its airspace to provide an
identification code to guard against possible attacks.
Blair was enroute from the World Economic Forum summit in Sharm
El-Sheikh, Egypt, to an investment conference in Bethlehem when the
interception occurred.
According to Blair spokesman and passenger Matthew Doyle, the
former prime minister and others aboard the aircraft were unaware
of the situation until they were asked about the incident by media
on in Bethlehem.
"Mr. Blair was one of a number of delegates on a flight back
from the World Economic Forum in Sharm el-Sheikh," Doyle said
Friday. "We were not aware of any problem at the time, and have not
been notified of any issue with the flight."
When asked about further details of the incident, the Israeli
army spokesman's office said "the air force does not comment on its
operational activities."
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