NEW DELHI, Dec 30: An Indian Air Force plane ferrying relief supplies to earthquake-hit Iran flew over Pakistan on Tuesday after authorities in Islamabad relaxed a two-year-old ban on Indian overflights, an Indian Air Force spokesman said.

India and Pakistan had agreed earlier this month to resume flights to each other’s countries from Jan 1, ahead of a regional summit in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

But Pakistani authorities decided to allow the Indian plane with its humanitarian cargo to overfly the country ahead of the agreed date.

“Yes, we overflew Pakistan. It (the plane) is carrying 25 tons of (relief) material, 60 paramedics and five army doctors,” an Air Force spokesman said.

The Russian-built Ilyushin 76 aircraft took off at 1:00pm (0730 GMT) from New Delhi’s Palam airbase and was due to reach Tehran three hours later.

The Air Force had two other aircraft on standby to fly more relief supplies that were waiting clearance to depart from the Indian goverment.—AFP