Russian fighter jet flies close to Israir passenger flight over Cyprus
While the passenger plane was never put in serious danger, it was not an isolated incident, with multiple civilian flights in the area having been interrupted by Russian fighters that day
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFIsrair(photo credit: DAVIDI VARDI VIA THE PIKIWIKI - ISRAEL FREE IMAGE COLLECTION PROJECT/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
A Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet approached an Israir Airbus A320 mid flight and few alongside it for a short time on Saturday, according to Ynet.The airbus was flying from Rhodes to Tel Aviv and the incident occurred in Cyprus airspace, where Cyprus air control separated the planes. The Russian fighter flew for a short distance and was no more than a mile (1.5 kilometers) from the passenger plane, Ynet reported. However, this is still considered very close due to the acceleration speed of a fighter jet.While the passenger plane was never put in serious danger, it was not an isolated incident, with multiple civilian flights in the area having been interrupted by Russian fighters that day, according to Ynet.The incident comes as the Russian Air Force works to increase its activity in the region, which includes an air force base near the city of Latakia in Syria.
