India missile test forces diversion of two airliners

[Neo]

April 14, 2007
India missile test forces diversion of two airliners

JAKARTA, April 13: Two Garuda Indonesia flights heading to Saudi Arabia had to divert course and return to Jakarta due to a missile test carried out by India this week, an Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday.

India’s ambassador to Indonesia would be called in to explain the incident, foreign ministry spokesman Kristianto Legowo told a news briefing.

“The ballistic test that was done by India caused two Garuda flights to Jeddah and Riyadh to re-route to Jakarta. We are trying to attain clarification from India about notification,” Legowo said. “We will immediately seek clarification from the Indian ambassador here.”

He said such information was usually passed on to the International Air Transport Association and the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

The spokesman did not say how close the missile was to the planes.

India carried out a successful test on Thursday of its longest-range ballistic missile, the Agni III, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead more than 3,000 kilometres, scientists said.

The missile was launched from Wheeler island off India’s eastern coast.

“India's missile testing program has always followed the requisite safety precautions,” said a spokesman for India’s ministry of external affairs.

The spokesman added that details of the test had been given a week before to civil aviation authorities in region.

Garuda officials could not immediately be contacted but Kompas newspaper quoted Ari Sapari, director of operations at the airline, as saying that the airline was not aware of the test.

“The test was conducted without earlier notice so our planes which had entered Colombo and Indian airspace had to return,” Sapari said.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/04/14/top8.htm

 

[Contrarian]

Agni-III test: Jakarta ATC was informed

Diplomatic Correspondent

NEW DELHI: A notice was sent a week before Thursday's Agni-III missile test to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) in Jakarta and others in the region, informing them of the launch window dates, danger time, zone and height, India said on Friday.

The clarification comes in the wake of an explanation sought by Indonesia from Indian Ambassador Navrekha Sharma why adequate notice was not given about the missile test as two Garuda (national carrier) planes had to return to Jakarta after entering the Indian air space owing to the test-firing of the missile.

The External Affairs Ministry spokesman said the ATCs were requested to take action and issue a NOTAM (Notice to Aviators and Mariners), in accordance with the provisions laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

"India's missile testing programme has always followed the requisite safety precautions, including in the case of Agni-III test of April 12, 2007," the spokesman said.

PTI reports:

Garuda Indonesia Operations Director Ari Sapari was quoted in an Indonesian newspaper as saying that ``there was no prior information about the test.'' The media report in Jakarta said a Garuda jet, full of Muslim pilgrims en route to Saudi Arabia, had reached the Indian airspace when the missile streaked across the sky, forcing the plane to turn around.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/14/stories/2007041403540100.htm