Armenia unable to return missing plane from Iran due to technical problems

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Boeing 737-300 that landed in Iran in circumstances that have yet to be fully explained can't return to Yerevan due to technical problems, civil aviation authorities report.

Inspections carry out by the crew of Fly Armenia Airways – the owner of the aircraft – revealed that some problems "are making the flight of the plane impossible," the Civil Aviation Committee said in a statement.

"The Civil Aviation Committee, together with the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Service, is making every effort to return the plane to Armenia," the statement reads.

Deputy director of the National Security Service Tigran Harutyunyan said Tuesday, March 16 that a criminal case into the "aircraft hijacking" incident has now been launched.

The story about the aircraft finding its way to Iran raised some eyebrows, given the international sanctions against Iran. The Foreign Ministry has said, however, that the Armenian side has not received a note of protest from the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan.