Bomb threat on IndiGo flight from Ahmedabad to Patna

CISF personnel, with sniffer dogs, initiated a search of the aircraft cargo area at the time of filing this report.

A bomb threat on an IndiGo flight from Ahmedabad to Patna (6E 921) triggered a massive search on board the aircraft after it landed at the Jayaprakash Narayan International (JPNI) airport in Patna around 1pm on Wednesday, said officials.

Bomb threat triggered massive search in the Indigo aircraft at the Patna airport. ,at IGI airport. (Ramesh Pathania/HT)

All 192 passengers on board the aircraft were evacuated safely around 40 minutes after the aircraft landed and it was parked in the isolation bay of the airport in Patna. Later, the aircraft was taken to bay number 1 where passengers were allowed to disembark.

CISF personnel, with sniffer dogs, initiated a search of the aircraft cargo area at the time of filing this report. A similar search was to be carried out inside the passenger area of the aircraft, said officials.

A meeting of officials, including those of the airport, security, the district administration and the police was conducted, as part of the standard operating procedure in such cases, after the Airports Authority of India (AAI) informed the administrative and police machinery of the state.

The bomb threat was received through a WhatsApp on the cellphone of IndiGo station manager, Shalini, after the flight landed at Patna. The WhatsApp had “bomb” written on a napkin tissue, as per the message communicated to the Air Traffic Control (ATC), which immediately alerted the CISF.

The aircraft had taken off from Ahmedabad at 10:55pm, 10 minutes ahead of its scheduled departure, and landed at Patna at 1pm, as per FlightAware app.