Akasa Air's Delhi-Bengaluru flight carrying 174 passengers receives bomb threat, returns to IGI airport

Akasa Air bomb threat: Akasa Air Emergency Response teams advised the pilot to divert the flight to IGI Airport in Delhi, the airline said.

Updated on: Oct 16, 2024, 14:55:12 IST

By HT News Desk | Edited by Aniruddha Dhar

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Akasa Air bomb threat: A Delhi-Bengaluru Akasa Air flight with 184 people returned to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital after declaring emergency following a bomb threat on Wednesday.

An Akasa Air flight with 184 people onboard from Delhi to Bengaluru returned to Delhi after a bomb threat. (Photo representational purpose only)

Akasa Air, in a statement, said the flight QP 1335 was set to land in Delhi around 2pm.

“Akasa Air flight QP 1335, flying from Delhi to Bengaluru on October 16, 2024, and carrying 174 passengers, 3 infants and 7 crew members on board, received a security alert. The Akasa Air Emergency Response teams are monitoring the situation and have advised the pilot to divert the flight to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi with abundant precaution. The Captain is following all required emergency procedures for a safe landing in Delhi and the estimated time of arrival is approximately 14:00 hrs,” Akasa Air spokesperson said in a statement.

Also Read | Bomb hoax: Canadian Air Force plane ferries stranded Air India passengers from Iqaluit to Chicago

The incident comes a day after seven flights, including one bound for the United States, received bomb-threat messages through a social media handle on Tuesday, prompting security agencies to undertake specific counter-terrorist drills at various airports, official sources said.

The threats via microblogging platform X came a day after three international flights originating from Mumbai received bomb threats, causing trouble to hundreds of passengers and airline crew. The messages posted on Monday were declared a hoax.

Also Read | Singapore forces scramble fighter jets to escort Air India Express aircraft

On Tuesday, Air India's Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft enroute to Chicago from Delhi was diverted to the Canadian airport following a bomb threat.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had said that the flight made an emergency landing at Iqaluit, Nunavut, and all 211 people including the crew disembarked the aircraft.

Also Read | 10 flights of Indian carriers receive bomb threats in 2 days; Chicago-bound Air India plane diverted to Canada

Meanwhile, in the past two days, at least 10 Indian flights have received bomb threats and after security checks, nothing suspicious was found in the respective planes.

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HT News Desk
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