Ambala: In a bid to dispel fear about the safety of fighter jet MiG 21, dubbed as "flying coffin", Defence Minister George Fernandes on August 1 took off in the Indian Air Force (IAF) jet.

The septuagenarian Minister, in a blue overall, accompanied Wing Commander N Harish during the flight over Kurukshetra and other towns of Haryana before touching down safely at 10.10 am (IST).

This is Fernandes' second flight in a fighter over a month after his first sortie in a Sukhoi version from Pune.

The flight was delayed by two hours following some morning rains.

Fernandes' flight in MiG jet comes after a series of crashes of the aircraft of the variety in the last 10 years and especially in the recent past.

More than 100 MiG 21s have crashed in the last 10 years and 80 pilots have lost their lives.

PTI