US passenger plane makes emergency landing in Tehran

AFP: A US plane with 255 passengers on board was forced to make an emergency landing in Tehran early Sunday after experiencing technical problems, airport officials told AFP. The Northwest Airlines DC 10, en route from Mumbai to Amsterdam “landed here at 4:00 am today (2330 GMT Saturday) because it had a problem with the cargo hold,” Mehrabad airport spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh said. AFP

TEHRAN – A US plane with 255 passengers on board was forced to make an emergency landing in Tehran early Sunday after experiencing technical problems, airport officials told AFP.

The Northwest Airlines DC 10, en route from Mumbai to Amsterdam “landed here at 4:00 am today (2330 GMT Saturday) because it had a problem with the cargo hold,” Mehrabad airport spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh said.

“The passengers were safely transferred to a terminal and served refreshments, while our airport technicians rushed to take care of the plane. At 11:00 am it took off again and continued its journey.

“The pilot expressed his satisfaction with the efforts and services provided for the passengers and plane,” he added.

There are no direct flights between Iran and the United States, which have no diplomatic relations. The last time a US aircraft landed in Iran was after the 2003 earthquake in Bam, when US military aircraft delivered humanitarian aid.

Ironically, Iran’s own civilian aircraft fleet frequently suffers technical problems due to US sanctions, which block the Islamic republic’s access to spare parts.