Mumbai, Oct 14: Security agencies went into a tizzy after three international flights originating from Mumbai received bomb threats on Monday, with a New York-bound Air India flight getting diverted to Delhi.
Apart from the Air India flight, two IndiGo flights — one to Muscat and another to Jeddah — also received bomb threats, as per officials.
The IndiGo flights received the threats before they took off and the planes concerned were moved to isolation bays for security checks on Monday morning.
Air India in a statement said, “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.”
“The aircraft is currently stationed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, and all standard safety protocols are being diligently followed to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew on board,” a senior (Delhi) police officer said.
All passengers have disembarked and the aircraft was being searched, as per officials.
The IndiGo Mumbai-Muscat and Mumbai-Jeddah flights also received bomb threats, a Mumbai police official confirmed, but said “nothing was found (after inspection of the aircraft and passengers and baggage scanning).”
“IndiGo flight 6E 1275 operating from Mumbai to Muscat had received a bomb threat. As per protocol, the aircraft was taken to an isolated bay, and following the standard operating procedure, mandatory security checks were promptly initiated,” the Gurugram-headquartered budget airline said in a statement.
On the Mumbai-Jeddah flight, it said, “The flight had received a bomb threat. As per protocol, the aircraft was taken to an isolated bay, and following the standard operating procedures, mandatory security checks were promptly initiated.”
IndiGo, however, did not share other specific details such as the number of persons on board or the status of the two flights.
According to the live flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, the Muscat flight, which was to depart at 2 am on Monday, took off for its destination at 9.15 am, after a delay of more than 7 hours, while flight 6E-57 (Mumbai-Jeddah) was scheduled to depart at 2.05 am and was showing an estimated departure at 12.15 pm.
On the Air India Mumbai-JFK flight, a police officer said the threat was received through a tweet and is being verified.
The airline said, “All passengers have disembarked and are at the Delhi airport terminal. Our colleagues on the ground are making sure to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected disruption.” (PTI)
