US military charter flight forced to land in Iran

Coalition plane flying from Afghanistan to UAE lands amid bureaucratic mix-up; problem resolved and plane flies out

By AP 6 September 2014, 12:14 am

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A C-17 transport plane taking off from Bagram air base in 2007. (photo credit: Courtesy: US Air Force/Maj. David Kurle)

US officials said Friday that a commercial aircraft chartered by the US-led military in Afghanistan was re-routed to Iran, apparently because of a mix-up over its flight plan.

The plane was flying from Bagram airfield north of Kabul 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.

The plane was allowed to depart after spending several hours on the ground in southern Iran. The State Department later confirmed that it had landed in Dubai.

“We appreciate the efforts of all parties to help the passengers get safely to their destination,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement. She described the problem as a “bureaucratic issue” with the plane’s flight plan.