PM's security not compromised: Civil Aviation Ministry

QUESTIONS UNANSWERED: Was the aircraft allowed to take off with a failed transponder?

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New Delhi: The aircraft carrying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made several uncomfortable rounds of Delhi airport on Tuesday after an unidentified object showed up on the ATC radar.

A preliminary inquiry by the DGCA identified the object as an Indian Air Force Dornier aircraft, IAF DO 82. However, the Civil Aviation ministry says that the Prime Minister's security was in no way compromised.

Due to a technical glitch, a false image was created and the Air Force plane appeared much closer, although it was five nautical miles away from the Prime Minister’s plane. With no transponder, no information about the aircraft could be passed on and hence it appeared like a rogue aircraft.

The Air Force had set up a joint command in Delhi to deal with heightened security threats. They were informed of the possible threat by the ATC. However, even with 16-minutes in hand, no fighters were scrambled out of the nearest base in Ambala. The Air Force says their radar did not register any blip. In their analysis, there was no need to scramble aircraft.

Meanwhile, the Airports Authority has been asked to check all radars for any abnormality. The Indian Air Force will also conduct an investigation on its Dornier Aircraft and the role of the Joint Command and Analysis Centre in the incident.

However, there are several questions, which remain unanswered. Was the aircraft allowed to take off with a failed transponder? Did the aircraft stray into civilian airspace? And until these questions are fully answered, doubts will remain about the PM's security in the sky.