OMM Redaksiyası
A Croatian Air Force “Rafale” fighter jet intercepted a Maltese-registered passenger aircraft over Croatia on Tuesday after NATO air command designated it a potential threat, Croatia Week reported, citing the Croatian Defense Ministry.
The “Boeing” aircraft was flying from Greece to Germany when NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejon, Spain, ordered the interception.
Information from Italy’s Command Reporting Centre indicated that the aircraft was transmitting transponder code 7500, which signals a hijacking.
The Croatian jet intercepted the plane at 11:02 a.m. (12:02 GMT) over Korenica in central Croatia. The pilot reportedly established radio contact with the aircraft before escorting it out of Croatian airspace.
The passenger plane entered Slovenian airspace at 11:20 a.m.
Croatia has used “Rafale” fighter jets for air policing since Jan. 1 as part of NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense System.
