Air Ixiom Flights 701 and 702 were two civilian 767-300 airliners employed by the Usean airline company Air Ixiom. They were vitally important to the Independent State Allied Forces war efforts in the final year of the Continental War.
History[]
On March 14, 2005, both aircraft had a flight plan to travel from Erusean territory to the ISAF-held Los Canas. The passengers included the engineers responsible for the development of Stonehenge. The engineers offered vital information to aid ISAF's efforts to destroy Stonehenge in exchange for asylum for themselves and their families.[1][2]
During takeoff, Erusean forces struck a blow to Flight 701, injuring the captain and forcing First Officer Kei Nagase to assume control of the airliner. The aircraft suffered hull damage, leading to uncontrolled decompression; First Officer Nagase restricted the flight to an altitude of 6,000 ft to maintain cabin pressure.[1]
At 1531 local time, Federal Erusea Air Force fighters north of the Chopinburg Rainforest spotted Flights 701 (flying at 6,000 ft) and 702 (holding a standard cruising altitude of 23,000 feet). The Eruseans attempted to shoot down both airliners to prevent the engineers from divulging any information on Stonehenge. ISAF responded by dispatching Mobius 1 to escort the airliners.[1]
With Mobius 1's escort, both airliners safely entered ISAF territory.[1] The engineers' defection became an important turning point in the war: the intelligence provided on Stonehenge allowed ISAF to successfully execute a second air raid on the railgun facility.[3]