Airline Bomb Scare: Air India's Delhi-Chicago, IndiGo's Dammam-Lucknow Flights Receive Threats
Air India confirmed that its Chicago-bound flight was diverted due to a bomb threat, leading to enhanced security measures for passengers and the aircraft.
A Chicago-bound Air India flight was diverted to Canada's Iqaluit following a bomb threat, and an IndiGo flight from Saudi Arabia's Dammam to Lucknow made an emergency landing in Jaipur after both airlines received bomb scares.
The Lucknow-bound IndiGo flight was moved to an isolation bay and cordoned off in Jaipur, NDTV reported. 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.
Besides these two international flights, three 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 Siliguri to Bengaluru (QP 1373), and a SpiceJet flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai (SG116), reports said, adding that these flights have landed safely.
“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. The flight landed safely, and the aircraft will be released for operations following all mandated security procedures,” 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.
