Representative image showing an Akasa Air flight.
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: A Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight returned to Delhi and IndiGo's Mumbai-Delhi flight landed in Ahmedabad on Wednesday after receiving bomb threats, a day after seven flights received security alerts prompting security agencies to undertake specific counter-terrorist drills at various airports.
Akasa Air flight QP 1335 was flying from Delhi to Bengaluru when the bomb threat was received following which the airline's Emergency Response Teams advised the pilot to return to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital.
There were 174 passengers, 3 infants and 7 crew members on board and the plane landed safely at the airport. An emergency was declared at the airport as per protocol for the aircraft after the bomb threat.
Similarly, the IndiGo flight 6E 651 operating from Mumbai to Delhi, was redirected to Ahmedabad due to a security-related alert.
"The aircraft was isolated, and all passengers were safely disembarked. Ensuring the safety and security of our customers and crew remains paramount in all facets of our operations... We worked closely with the relevant authorities, and standard operating procedures were followed," IndiGo said in a statement.
On Tuesday, seven flights, including one bound for the United States, received bomb-threat messages through a social media handle but were declared hoax later.
The threats on Tuesday came on 'X'. On Monday, three international flights originating from Mumbai had received bomb threats.
The 'X' handle, which issued threats on Tuesday, was suspended following a request from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
Threats were issued on Tuesday to an Air India Express flight from Jaipur to Bengaluru via Ayodhya, a SpiceJet flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai, an Akasa Air flight from Bagdogra to Bengaluru, an Air India flight from Delhi to Chicago, an Indigo flight from Dammam (Saudi Arabia) to Lucknow, an Alliance Air Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight and an Air India Express flight from Madurai to Singapore.
Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture that the accused involved in the threat messages are being identified. However, he said he could not share more details due to the sensitivity involved in the ongoing probe.