IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Delhi diverted after bomb threat, 12th incident in 2 days

A Delhi-bound IndiGo aircraft from Mumbai was diverted to Ahmedabad on Tuesday night after receiving a bomb threat, which was later found to be a hoax. The aircraft, carrying nearly 200 passengers and crew, was safely disembarked, and after a thorough check, no suspicious items were found. This is the 12th such incident in the last two days.

The aircraft was isolated, and security agencies conducted an through search, but found nothing suspicious.

According to officials, the threat was made through a tweet by an unidentified person shortly after the flight took off from Mumbai. The Mumbai Air Traffic Control (ATC) alerted the pilots, who decided to make an emergency landing at Ahmedabad airport, the closest airport at the time.

The aircraft was isolated, and security agencies conducted an overnight search, finding nothing suspicious. The flight resumed its journey to Delhi at 8 am on Wednesday.

IndiGo stated that flight 6E 651 was redirected to Ahmedabad due to a “security-related alert” and that standard operating procedures were followed. The airline apologized for any inconvenience caused and emphasized its commitment to customer and crew safety.

Bomb threats on flights

This incident is the latest in a series of hoax bomb threats targeting flights. On Wednesday, an Akasa Air flight from New Delhi to Bengaluru returned to the capital after receiving a bomb threat. On Monday, three international flights from Mumbai received similar threats, resulting in diversions and delays.

In light on these incidents, the central government has decided to double the number of sky marshals on flights originating from airports across the country.

A senior official from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) confirmed that the decision to double the number of Air marshals has been taken recently after assessment of the growing threat and getting inputs from intelligence agencies.

Sky Marshals are armed plainclothes security officers who travel on passenger aircraft.

In India, Sky Marshals or flight marshals were introduced in 1999 after the hijacking of the flight Air India IC 814 in Kandahar to prevent hijacking in future. Sky marshals travel with loaded firearms/weapons in passenger (commercial) aircraft and can also take action in the aircraft to prevent hijacking.