NORAD jets intercept Toronto-bound plane after radio communications fail

TORONTO – Two Canadian fighter jets intercepted a commercial airliner near Quebec City on Monday after the Toronto-bound aircraft did not respond to radio communication.

The jets were acting under the direction of the joint North American Air Defence Command, or NORAD, and intercepted the airline around 1:50 p.m. E.T.

NORAD says the jets were able to help the Boeing 767-300 to re-establish radio communications with air traffic control before the aircraft continued without incident to its destination.

Winnipeg-based NORAD spokeswoman Capt. Jill Strelieff says the airline was flying from Paris to Toronto with 303 people on board.

She says security reasons prevented her from revealing the airline involved or how long the aircraft was unresponsive to radio communications.

NORAD’s mission is to prevent air attacks against North America. It safeguards Canadian and U.S. airspace by responding to unknown, unwanted and unauthorized air activity and provides aerospace and maritime warnings for North America.