Bomb Threats Issued To Seven Flights, Air India's Chicago-Bound Plane Diverted To Canada

Seven flights received bomb threats on Tuesday, including the Chicago-bound Air India plane that was diverted to Canada's Iqaluit as a precautionary measure.

An IndiGo flight from Saudi Arabia's Dammam to Lucknow was also affected by bomb scare, as the threat compelled the operators to make an emergency landing in Jaipur. The flight—6E 98—was moved to an isolation bay and cordoned off, NDTV reported, adding that security protocols were followed to scan the aircraft.

Air India, in a statement, said its flight AI127 was the "subject of a security threat posted online and, as a precautionary measure, has landed at Iqaluit Airport in Canada." The aircraft and passengers are being re-screened as per the laid down security protocols.

Another international flight, Madurai to Singapore (IX 684) operated by Air India Express, also received a bomb threat online. Singapore’s Minister for Defence, Ng Eng Hen, said two F-15 aircraft escorted the plane till its landing at the Singapore airport after it received the threat email.

Besides these three international flights, four domestic flights also reportedly received bomb threats through social media.

These include an Air India Express flight from Bengaluru to Ayodhya (IX765), an Akasa Air plane from Bagdogra to Bengaluru (QP 1373), a SpiceJet flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai (SG116), and Alliance Air Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight (9I 650), NDTV reported.

“Air India Express, along with a few other operators, received a specific security threat from an unverified social media handle. In response, security protocols were promptly activated as directed by the government-appointed bomb threat assessment committee,” news agency ANI quoted an Air India Express representative as saying.

The bomb scares come a day after hoax calls led to the grounding of three international flights—one operated by Air India and two by IndiGo.

The first incident involved the New York-bound Air India flight AI119, which departed from Mumbai on Oct. 14. Following the bomb threat, it was diverted to New Delhi.

On the same day, two IndiGo flights that were scheduled to depart from Mumbai to Muscat (6E1275) and Jeddah (6E56), respectively, were sent to the isolation bays at Mumbai Airport after the bomb threats were received.