Israeli Flight Forced to Change Altitude Over Black Sea Due to Russian Military Planes

NEW YORK

A passenger plane heading from Tel Aviv to Moscow was forced to fly lower over the Black Sea because a Russian military reconnaissance plane was flying nearby, the Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday.

The Aeroflot airliner was ordered by air traffic control to lower its course by 1,640 feet on Friday, according to the Russian tabloid that first reported the incident.

The civilian flight was forced to change its path when it crossed paths with a spy plane; the Russian military said its fighter jets to escorted two U.S. military reconnaissance planes over the Black Sea.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow did not comment on the incident.

According to Reuters, the planes were so close the crew of the civilian airliner could see the military jets out the cabin windows.

Rosaviatsia, Russia’s aviation authority, said that Moscow would lodge a diplomatic complaint about the increase of NATO flights in the region, which it claimed put civilian flights at risk.

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!