A Jet Airways aircraft lost communication with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) for a "brief period" while flying in German skies on February 16. German authorities feared that the plane might have been hijacked and immediately scrambled their fighter jets.
The flight 9W-118, with 330 passengers and 15 crew members on board, was flying from Mumbai to London when it lost contact with the ATC while flying over Cologne in Germany.
The airline said in a statement on Sunday that the pilots of the Boeing-777 aircraft lost contact due to a communication failure. But communication was safely restored within minutes and the flight landed at its destination without any trouble.
"Contact between Jet Airways flight 9W-118 from Mumbai to London Heathrow, of February 16, 2017, and the local ATC, was briefly lost while flying over German airspace. Communication was safely restored within a few minutes. German Air Force deployed its aircraft to ensure safety as a precaution," the airline statement said.
"As a precaution, the German Air Force (GAF) scrambled its fighter jets to ensure the safety of the flight and its passengers," it added.
The statement further added that the airline had de-rostered the pilots of the flight, pending investigation, and also reported the matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
