Wrong code delayed Merkel’s plane: Iran
June 2nd, 2011 - 1:22 am ICT by IANSTehran, June 1 (IANS) Iran said Wednesday that an error in announcing a code caused delay in the passage of German chancellor Angela Merkel’s plane over Iran’s airspace Tuesday.
The pilot, who flew the new Airbus A340-300 of the German government, had apparently entered an incorrect call signal code while communicating with Iranian air traffic controllers, Xinhua cited Press TV quoting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi as saying in a report.
As soon as the technical problem was removed, the plane continued its path and flew over Iran, said the report.
On Tuesday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said it was a technical failure that caused the delay of the plane’s passage.
He said Iran had issued clearance for Merkel’s flight beforehand and acknowledged the clearance to the German Embassy in Tehran, so the delay in German chancellor’s flight was due to technical problem.
It was earlier reported that the Iranian government temporarily refused Merkel’s plane to fly over its territory on her way to India.
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