20 June,2009 10:43 AM IST | | PTI
A US military cargo aircraft which intruded into the Indian airspace and landed at the international airport here, is awaiting government clearance for take-off, airport officials said today.
"The aircraft is awaiting clearance and will take off once the clearance is given by the government," a Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) spokesperson told PTI.
The aircraft has been moved to a parking bay at the cargo terminal, he said adding, the two crew members and six passengers are still in the plane.
The aircraft did not have air operation routing (AOR) from the government, airport officials said adding, investigations are on by concerned security agencies.
The AN-124 aircraft of Russian origin carrying ammunition and eight persons on board intruded into Indian airspace and landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport here late last night.
The aircraft, which entered the Indian airspace at around 2000 hours, did not have the permission to fly over the Indian airspace, IAF PRO Wing Commander T K Singha had said.
The plane was then asked to land at the Mumbai airport which the aircraft did at 2240 hours, he said.
IAF sources said the plane took off from Diego Garcia island, a military base near Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, and was headed to Kandahar in Afghanistan
