Hoax bomb threats affect 500 passengers on 3 flights from Mumbai

After Air India’s Mumbai-New York flight AI 119 was diverted mid-air to Delhi airport early Monday morning (October 14) due to a bomb threat, two IndiGo flights from Mumbai received security threats just before takeoff.

The two IndiGo flights – 6E 1275 bound for Muscat and 6E 56 bound for Jeddah – were moved to isolated bays in Mumbai airport and security checks were conducted as per safety protocols.

The IndiGo flight to Muscat has departed after being cleared of any security threat, while the other flight to Jeddah will resume its journey on Monday afternoon (October 14), reported the airline.

There were a total of 258 passengers on both the IndiGo flights, while the Air India flight had 239 passengers.

Also Read: Mumbai-New York Air India flight diverted to Delhi after bomb threat

An Air India spokesperson said, “Flight AI 119 operating from Mumbai to JFK on October 14 received a specific security alert and on instructions of the government’s security regulatory committee was diverted to Delhi. All passengers have disembarked and are at the Delhi airport terminal. The authorities are investigating the nature of the threat, and Air India is coordinating with security personnel to determine the next steps.”

Both the airlines said that the passengers were provided with assistance and refreshments, and they regretted the inconvenience caused by the delay.

Bomb threats at airports

There has been a spate of bomb threats at several airports in India in the recent past, most of which have turned out to be hoax.

On October 5, the international airport in Indore, Madhya Pradesh received a bomb threat via email after which the police registered an FIR. On the same day, the airport in Vadodara, Gujarat received a similar threat, also by email.

Also Read: Full emergency at Thiruvananthapuram airport after bomb threat on AI flight

The police carried out thorough searches at both the airports and did not uncover any threat.

The authorities have tightened security at the airports to prevent any untoward incidents.