PIA plane forced to land in Indonesia

A PIA passenger plane headed for Malaysia was forced to land by two Indonesian fighter jets after entering Indonesian air space without authorisation, said media reports. However, after necessary documentation and inquiry from the crew, the plane got clearance to take off. A spokesman for PIA says the aircraft is chartered by UN peacekeepers in East Timor and might have strayed off course due to bad weather. Indonesian Air Force chief Agus Supriatna said the Boeing 737-300 with 54 people on board landed Monday at the Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province. 'The plane landed at 1.50 p.m. It was piloted by Captain Tariq Khalil ur Rehman Awan, he said, adding, that the plane took off from Dili, East Timor, and was headed for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He said it would be allowed to leave after necessary documentation. PIA spokesman Tajwar said Pakistani Embassy in Indonesia has been informed and is taking action.

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