They remained in the civilian flight path for about 15 minutes.
The fighter jets were operating at ‘flight level 230' which caters to civilian planes and were not in VHF (Very High Frequency) or radio contact with the ATC tower.
The incident, termed as “serious violation” by civil aviation authorities, could have led to a major accident as the Nagpur airport has a number of flights landing and taking off around that time, they said.
The AAI, which controls the airport, has recorded the incident and lodged a formal complaint with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The DGCA has in turn referred the matter to the IAF Headquarters for their views, the sources said.
