UAE Air Force plane gets clearance to depart Kolkata

The crew members of a United Arab Emirates air force plane, who were detained at the Kolkata airport on Sunday night for carrying arms and explosives in the aircraft, were on Monday granted clearance to resume their flight to China. The captain and eight crew members of the UAE air force aircraft were deplaned on the tarmac of the Netaji Subash Chandra Bose international airport. They were carrying arms and explosives for allegedly violating a declaration that allowed them to land for refuelling in the city. However, a clearance has now been issued by the Intelligence Bureau for the crew to fly off to China. The legal proceedings that were scheduled against them for Monday have also been put off. According to reports, the chaos erupted as the plane made an unscheduled landing at Kolkata. However, it was later found that the officials had the required documents in their possession.

UAE Air Force plane detained at Kolkata with arms onboard

A plane belonging to the United Arab Emirates' air force and its nine crew members were detained in Calcutta airport this evening for allegedly carrying arms and explosives in violation of a declaration that allowed them to land for refuelling in the city. The aircraft was on its way to Hanyang in China from Abu Dhabi and had landed at Calcutta airport to refuel around 5.30pm. Customs sources said the eastern regional command of the Indian Air Force had allowed the aircraft to land on the basis of a clearance (AOR 913/914) it received from the Delhi regional command. Around 6.30pm, customs officials from Calcutta airport boarded the aircraft for a customary check. "They were shocked to find a large cache of arms, ammunition and explosives inside the aircraft and immediately informed the Airports Authority of India, police and the Central Industrial Security Force," a customs official said.

The Delhi regional command clarified on enquiry that it had issued the clearance to land for refuelling on the basis of a verbal declaration from the UAE air force that the aircraft would not carry any arms or ammunition. The captain and the eight other crew members were detained and accommodated at a private luxury hotel. The aircraft was sealed and parked at a bay near hangar number 14 of the airport, another customs official said. At 11.30pm, the Indian Air Force cancelled the clearance it had issued to the aircraft. Hanyang, the apparent destination of the plane, was one of the three cities that merged into modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province in China. Legal proceedings against the UAE crew are scheduled to start from Monday. If the authorities press charges, the aircraft and crew will have to stay in the city till the process is completed.