Did Tahawwur Rana's Extradition Flight Avoid Pakistani Airspace En Route to Delhi?

New Delhi: The Gulfstream G550 chartered jet carrying 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks plotter Tahawwur Rana from the United States to India took a longer route to avoid Pakistani airspace while flying into Delhi, claimed reports.

Besides, flight records reveal the luxury business jet, operated by a Vienna-based private charter company, departed Miami, Florida, at 2:15 am local time (11:45 am IST) on Wednesday. It made a scheduled halt in Bucharest, Romania, landing at 7:00 pm local time (9:30 pm IST). After an 11-hour layover in the Romanian capital, the aircraft resumed its journey at 6:15 am local time (8:45 am IST) on Thursday, finally landing in New Delhi.

Interestingly, while the inbound flight deliberately avoided Pakistani airspace, the jet flew over Pakistan during its return leg to the United Arab Emirates — a common route used by commercial and private flights between the US and India.

The decision to bypass Pakistan’s airspace during Rana’s extradition comes against the backdrop of long-standing diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad over terrorism-related issues and India's 2019 revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Although both countries closed their respective airspaces for several months in 2019 following the Pulwama terror attack and subsequent military escalation, civilian routes were later restored.

In August last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s aircraft had used Pakistani airspace for about 46 minutes during his return from Poland.

While an official confirmation on the reports is awaited, the cautious rerouting of Rana’s flight could be attributed to security sensitivities surrounding his high-profile extradition.

For the unversed, Rana, a Pakistani-origin Canadian-American businessman, faces trial in India for his alleged involvement in facilitating the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed nearly 166 people.

The Gulfstream G550, known for its long-range capabilities and VIP comfort, has frequently been used for sensitive international extradition missions due to its discreet profile and reliability.