AI flight loses ATC contact over Hungary, reaches London safely (Lead)

Mumbai March 10 (IANS) An Air India Ahmedabad-London-Newark flight lost communication with the local Air Traffic Control and was escorted by fighter jets over Hungary officials said here on Friday.

The flight AI-171 had departed from Ahmedabad at 7 a.m. on Friday with 231 passengers and 18 crew members.

En route over Hungarian airspace it lost contact for some time with the ATC due to frequency fluctuations AI officials said.

The flight landed at 11.06 hrs local time in London safely and AI has launched a probe into the incident.

The incident comes barely three weeks after a Jet Airways Mumbai-London flight with 345 persons on board had lost contact with the ground over German airspace and was escorted by fighter jets on February 19.

--IANS
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