Ahmedabad: Two flights, a Delhi-bound and another for Bengaluru, were diverted on Wednesday following bomb threats. A Delhi-bound IndiGo flight from Mumbai was redirected to Ahmedabad after receiving a threat that later turned out to be a hoax, reported PTI.
The aircraft was isolated upon landing, and all passengers were safely disembarked. After a thorough security check, no suspicious items were found, and the flight resumed its journey to Delhi on Wednesday morning, officials confirmed.
The incident occurred shortly after the IndiGo flight, carrying nearly 200 passengers and crew, took off from Mumbai on Tuesday night. An unidentified individual had tweeted a bomb threat, claiming that an explosive device had been planted on the plane. Alerted by the Mumbai Air Traffic Control (ATC), the pilots made an emergency landing at the nearest airport—Ahmedabad.
"After landing here during midnight, the aircraft, carrying nearly 200 passengers and crew, was thoroughly checked by the security agencies overnight. However, nothing suspicious was found. The flight took off for Delhi at around 8 am today after getting a green signal from the security personnel," the official from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport said.
IndiGo confirmed the incident in a statement, noting that flight 6E 651 from Mumbai to Delhi was redirected due to a "security-related alert." "The aircraft was isolated, and all passengers were safely disembarked. Ensuring the safety and security of our customers and crew remains paramount in all facets of our operations. We worked closely with the relevant authorities, and standard operating procedures were followed. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this situation may have caused our customers and appreciate their understanding," the airline added.
Besides this, an Akasa Air flight en route to Bengaluru was diverted back to New Delhi following a bomb threat, according to sources. Earlier, on Monday, three international flights departing from Mumbai received bomb threats. One Air India flight bound for New York was diverted to New Delhi and later rescheduled, while two IndiGo flights were delayed for several hours due to security checks.
None of the flights in question showed any signs of suspicious items, police confirmed. On Tuesday, another Air India flight carrying 211 passengers from Delhi to Chicago was diverted to Canada following a bomb threat. Additionally, six other Indian flights received bomb threats via social media the same day.
In a separate incident, the Singapore Armed Forces scrambled two fighter jets to escort an Air India Express plane away from populated areas after it received a bomb threat while en route from Madurai to Singapore. The aircraft landed safely at Singapore’s Changi Airport without further incident.