Aussie plane intercepted by Indonesian fighter jets

An Australian civilian plane has been intercepted by two Indonesian fighter jets that forced it to land for flying through Indonesian airspace.

The civilian Beechcraft plane was crewed by two Australian pilots; Graeme Paul Jacklin from Brisbane and Richard Wayne MacLean from South Australia, News Corp reports.

An air force spokesman said the pair was flying through the air defence area of Manado in North Sulawesi.

Both men were heading for Cebu in the Philippines from Darwin when their flight was detected by Indonesia's national air commander radar.

The two Sukhoi Indonesian Air Force jets then followed the plane, asked them to land in Manado.

Indonesian Airforce Brigadier General Hadi Tjahjanto said the men violated an official flight path.

"The plane violated the official path around Saumlaki," he said.

"Because they're civilians, the case with be under the authority of airport authorities."

The aircraft, a 1996 Beech twin-engine, has been registered to Mr MacLean since 2006.

His wife, Kaye, told Fairfax Media her husband was a "ferry pilot" and that this plane had been sold was being taken to the Philippines.

Graeme Jacklin's brother Greg said that he'd spoken with his sibling and he was "doing fine".

The pair remains at the Sam Ratulangi Military Air Base in Manado, where they are being interrogated.

The case has now been handed over to the Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado but it is unknown what sanction the pilots will face.