An Air India flight AI 119 from Mumbai to New York was diverted mid-air to Delhi following a bomb threat, reports said on Monday.
Delhi Police said that the aircraft has now been stationed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and all standard safety protocols were followed for the safety of crew and passengers on board.
“We request your cooperation and refrain from spreading unverified information. Further updates will be shared in due course,” a senior police officer at Delhi airport told ANI.
The flight bound for New York’s JFK airport took off from Mumbai around 2 am. Soon after, it was diverted to Delhi, flight tracking app FlightRadar24 showed. At 4:10 am, passengers were asked to deplane and leave their luggage on board.
News agency ANI quoted sources as saying that Mumbai airport received a message on X (formerly Twitter) regarding a bomb threat in the flight. The Mumbai airport conveyed the message to security agencies in Delhi. Then, the call was taken to divert the aircraft to Delhi.
The Air India Spokesperson released a statement, saying “Flight AI119 operating Mumbai to JFK on October 14 received a specific security alert and on instructions of the government’s security regulatory committee was diverted to Delhi. All passengers have disembarked and are at the Delhi airport terminal. Our colleagues on ground are making sure to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected disruption. Air India is committed to and accords top priority to the safety and security of its passengers and crew.”
Multiple airports have been the target of bomb threats, many of which have later turned out to be hoax. Earlier on October 5, Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar International Airport located in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore received a bomb threat email following which the police registered an FIR.
The mail sender also threatened to blow up other airports in the country. Similarly, Vadodara Airport received a bomb threat via e-mail, which promoted a thorough search on October 5. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up following the received threat and authorities are currently investigating the matter.
Last month, an Air India flight from Mumbai received a bomb threat, after which it landed at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. According to news agency PTI, a message written on a tissue paper reading “Bomb in flight” was found in the plane’s washroom.
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