Pakistan sent two F-16 fighter planes last month to intercept SpiceJet flight to Kabul

Pakistan last month scrambled two F-16 jets in its airspace to intercept a SpiceJet plane, assuming it to be a military aircraft, which was heading to Kabul from Delhi with around 120 passengers, a senior Government official said.

The incident came in the backdrop of tension between India and Pakistan that had escalated after the Indian Government revoked Jammu & Kashmir’s special status on August 5 and bifurcated it into union territories.

“On the morning of September 23, the SpiceJet flight SG 21 left Delhi airport and was going through Pakistan’s airspace to Kabul. Pakistan scrambled two F-16 planes and intercepted the flight mid-air,” said the official.

The SpiceJet pilot was asked by F-16 pilots to lower the altitude and give flight details, the official added.