New Delhi  - A transport plane of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) air force was detained by authorities in eastern India for carrying undeclared arms and explosives, officials said Monday.

The plane en route from Abu Dhabi to Hanyang in central China landed at the international airport in Kolkata on Sunday night to refuel.

"During the customary checking of plane by customs officials, a large cache of arms and ammunition was found stockpiled inside the craft," said an Indian Air Force official who requested anonymity.

"The airport authorities were alerted as the plane crew had not declared that it was carrying arms," he added. The plane was grounded and its 10 crew members were detained for questioning.

"In the official form for the clearance, they did not mention whether the aircraft was carrying arms or ammunition on board. They just wrote nil in the particular column," the official said.

Local newschannels reported that a "miscommunication" between the UAE military and its embassy in India could have led to the problem.

It was not clear whether the plane would be allowed to fly to China or return to Abu Dhabi.

"The UAE air force personnel are being questioned by the customs officials, the matter should be sorted out diplomatically," he added. (dpa)