A surveillance aircraft from neighboring India has entered Maldivian territory and flown over Maldivian airspace.
An Indian Army P-81 Neptune flew over Maldives today. The registration number of the aircraft is IN329.
According to information from tracking sites and other sources, the aircraft flew over Maldives today after taking off from the Indian military base.
At 12:00 pm, the aircraft was near Goa. It flew towards the Maldives After traveling east of the atolls within the Maldivian EEZ, the aircraft traveled very close to Male' at around 4:00 pm.
It was about 40 kilometers from Velana International Airport. The plane was flying at 21,500 feet. It flew over Vaavu atoll, including inhabited islands, before nearing Male'.
After approaching Male', the aircraft headed north and did a roundabout from outside Haa Alif atoll to fly to the west. It could no longer be tracked on sites after sunset.
The Indian Navy operates the P-8I Neptune, a maritime patrol aircraft based on the Boeing 737-800, for missions like maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and humanitarian operations.
When contacted for an official comment, the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) said journalists must contact the Defense Ministry. Officials from the Defense Ministry were not responding to phone calls. Indian officials have not commented on the matter.
