‘Bomb threat’ delays Ayodhya to Bengaluru flight

While initially set to depart for Bengaluru at 2:55 pm, the flight took off at 6.05 pm in view of the emergency situation, they added.

An Air India Express flight from Ayodhya to Bengaluru was delayed after a bomb threat on Tuesday, officials said.

The situation arose following a threat from an unverified social media account, Air India Express officials were quoted as saying by PTI. (File)

The flight, IX 765, which originated from Jaipur and was carrying 132 passengers, landed safely in Ayodhya at 2:06 pm, six minutes later than scheduled. While initially set to depart for Bengaluru at 2:55 pm, the flight took off at 6.05 pm in view of the emergency situation, they added.

The situation arose following a threat from an unverified social media account, Air India Express officials were quoted as saying by PTI.

The director of Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhya Dham, Vinod Kumar, said, “The flight from Jaipur landed safely at the Ayodhya airport and all passengers were evacuated promptly without any trouble. Passengers were moved to a secure area...”

“The Boeing 737-Max 8 aircraft, with tail sign VT-BWF, had 132 passengers on board. After a brief halt in Ayodhya, it was set to leave for Bengaluru,” he added.

“In response [to the threat], 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,” an Air India Express spokesperson told PTI.

The director added a thorough search of the aircraft was conducted even as law enforcement agencies were investigating the origin of the threat.

Following the search, which yielded no findings, the aircraft was cleared for its next destination, and it took off at 6.05 pm with all the passengers on board, the official added.

Commercial flight operations at the airport were launched earlier this year. {With PTI inputs}