Hoax bomb threat message brings Silchar airport to a standstill

A piece of paper with a threat message written on it was found at the rear end of the SpiceJet aircraft.

A bomb threat, which later turned out to be a hoax, delayed a Silchar-Guwahati-New Delhi flight by more than six hours on Tuesday, a statement issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said.

A bomb threat message was found inside a SpiceJet aircraft in Silchar. (AFP/For Representative Purposes Only)

A piece of paper with a threat message written on it was found at the rear end of the SpiceJet aircraft, which had arrived at the Silchar airport from Guwahati with 109 passengers on board at 1.58 pm, it said.

"All agencies were alerted... As per the Stand Operating Procedure, passengers were stopped from exiting the arrival lounge," the statement said.

A team of police officers and bomb disposal squads subsequently reached the airport and an "extensive checking" was carried out, the AAI said.

The flight was finally cleared for takeoff at 9 pm, the statement added.

P K Gorai, the director of Silchar airport, said all mandatory checks were carried out and flight was found to be safe for takeoff.