RAF Fighter Jets Scrambled to Intercept Flight from Bucharest

Photo: planespotters.net / Jose Manuel Sanchez Pombo

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RAF jets have been scrambled to intercept a flight from Romania after it lost communications.

A Fleet Air International Saab 340B performing freight flight from Bucharest Otopeni (Romania) to Birmingham,EN (UK), was enroute over Belgium when the communication between ATC and the aircraft was lost.

Belgium and UK fighter aircraft were dispatched to intercept the aircraft, the Belgian F-16s reached the Saab over the North Sea, the UK Typhoons and Voyagers took over and escorted the Saab to the destination Birmingham.

The runway in Birmingham was closed for about 30 minutes after landing.

The Saab 340 aircraft, which came into service in 1987, is operated by Hungarian cargo airline Fleet Air International. In recent days it has made stops in Brno, the Czech Republic, and Cluj-Napoca in Romania.

An spokesperson for the RAF said the aircraft was safely escorted to Birmingham International Airport.

Source: avherld.com / independent.co.uk