Charter plane carrying up to 100 Americans forced to land in Iran 'or be forced down' because their flight plan was 'out of date'
- Boeing 737 from commercial airline Fly Dubai chartered by US-led military in Afghanistan
- Ordered down while flying to Dubai on Friday
- Iranian ground control radioed the plane to say the flight path through Iran was outdated
- Threatened to force the plane down using Iranian fighter jets
- Plane landed peacefully in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran
- Believed to 100 Americans aboard and two Canadians
U.S. officials say a commercial aircraft chartered by the U.S.-led military in Afghanistan was ordered to land in Iran after being told its flight plan was out of date, or else be 'forced down' by Iranian fighter jets.
The plane - a Boeing 737 chartered from airline Fly Dubai - was flying from Bagram airfield, north of Kabul in Afghanistan, to Dubai on Friday.
The normal flight path goes through Iranian airspace.
One official says Iranians radioed the plane's crew to say they did not have the proper paperwork and to return to Bagram.
The pilots said they did not have enough fuel to return, so the Iranian authorities told them to land in Iran or 'be intercepted'.
Forced down: A charter airplane carrying 140 military contractors - including 100 U.S. citizens - from Afghanistan to Dubai was ordered to land in Iran Friday after its pilots were told the flight plan was out of date
According to NBC, Iranian ground control officers ordered the plane to land at the airport in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.
They threatened to force the plane down using fighter jets, according to reports.
The pilot then voluntary landed in Bandar Abbas.
There were 140 people aboard the plane, 100 of them Americans, CNN noted.
There were also said to be two Canadians on board.
The flight routinely flies contractors from Afghanistan to Dubai.
Initial reports that the plane had been charted by the Pentagon were incorrect, officials said.
A senior State Department official says the issue appears to have been resolved and the plane is expected to take off again Friday afternoon.
The officials are not authorized to be named and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The airline, Fly Dubai, will likely have to pay a fine to Iran and buy Iranian fuel, NBC reported.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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