Two Royal Air Force fighter jets were sent to escort a passenger plane to a British airport after the plane's crew repeatedly failed to contact air traffic controllers, officials said Friday. The National Air Traffic Services said it called security forces after a Pakistan International Airways plane bound for Manchester Airport in northern England on Nov. 12 failed to contact controllers in the Netherlands and Britain. Security officials immediately sent two RAF fighters to the Boeing 747, which was carrying 81 passengers from Karachi. The air force planes flew for about 15 minutes alongside the airliner, accompanying it to within 40 miles (64 kilometers) of Manchester Airport. The National Air Traffic Services said the plane's crew, who had earlier failed to contact controllers at Maastricht when passing through Dutch airspace, eventually made contact with British controllers and landed safely at Manchester. The incident is being investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority.
