Frankfurt-bound Vistara flight from Mumbai diverted to Turkey due to security concerns

The flight has landed safely in Erzurum Airport in eastern Turkey.

A Vistara flight from Mumbai to Germany's Frankfurt was diverted to Turkey due to security concerns, the airline has said. The flight landed safely at Erzurum Airport in eastern Turkey.

An airline spokesperson said the crew onboard noted the security concern.(Reuters)

"Flight UK27 from Mumbai to Frankfurt (BOM-FRA) has been diverted to Turkey (Erzurum airport) due to security reasons and has landed safely at 1905 hours. Please stay tuned for further updates," the airlines said in a post on X.

Without elaborating, an airline spokesperson said the crew onboard noted the security concern, following which relevant authorities were alerted.

“Vistara flight UK 27, operating from Mumbai to Frankfurt on September 06, 2024, has been diverted to Turkey due to a security concern that was noted by our crew while onboard,” the spokesperson said. “The aircraft has safely landed at the Erzurum Airport. As per protocol, the relevant authorities were immediately alerted and we are fully cooperating with the security agencies to complete the mandatory security checks.”

“At Vistara, the safety and security of our customers, crew, and aircraft remain our highest priority,” it added.

Sources said a note with “bomb on aeroplane” was found on a tissue paper in toilet.

Last week, a domestic Indigo flight – from Jabalpur to Hyderabad – was diverted to Nagpur due to a bomb threat on September 1. Upon landing in Nagpur, all passengers were disembarked and mandatory security checks were promptly initiated, according to an Indigo statement.

“Passengers were provided with assistance and refreshments, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused,” the airline had said.

On August 22, a full emergency was declared at Thiruvananthapuram airport following a bomb threat on an Air India flight arriving from Mumbai. The flight landed at the airport around 8am and was directed to an isolation bay and passengers were safely evacuated by 8.44am. The pilot communicated the threat around 7:30 am as the aircraft neared Thiruvananthapuram airport. There were 135 passengers on board.

– with inputs from Yogesh Naik in Mumbai