177 passengers, crew on Delhi-Srinagar Vistara flight evacuated after hoax bomb call

As soon as the plane landed, it was directed towards an isolation bay and authorities, including CISF, escorted the passengers and crew to a secure area while the forces conducted a search of the plane.

As many as 177 passengers and crew on a New Delhi-Srinagar Vistara airplane (UK611) had to be evacuated after the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at the Srinagar Airport received a bomb threat call.

As soon as the plane landed, it was directed towards an isolation bay and authorities, including CISF, escorted the passengers and crew to a secure area while the forces conducted a search of the plane. (REUTERS/REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE)

SK Kapahi, officiating airport director, said the call was received when the plane was mid-air. “There was a threat call about a bomb on the flight and all security protocols were immediately put into action,” he said.

As soon as the plane landed, it was directed towards an isolation bay and authorities, including CISF, escorted the passengers and crew to a secure area while the forces conducted a search of the plane. However, the bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs didn’t find anything suspicious in and around the aircraft. Though the call turned out to be a hoax, probe is on to find the origin of the call.

“After completion of the security protocol, passengers were cleared and their baggage was provided to them. And operations have resumed,” said Kapahi.