Executive Summary
- An Air India Express flight from Mumbai to Varanasi with 176 people on board received a security threat, prompting an emergency response.
- The aircraft landed safely in Varanasi, and all passengers and crew were disembarked without incident.
- A subsequent search by security agencies found no suspicious items on the plane.
- The event follows a pattern of recent bomb threats against Indian airlines, including a wave of nearly 100 hoax threats in one week in October 2024.
An Air India Express flight with 176 people on board landed safely in Varanasi on Wednesday after receiving a security threat, prompting the implementation of emergency protocols at the destination airport. The domestic flight departed from Mumbai at 2:30 p.m. for a two-hour journey to Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi.
In a statement, an Air India spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating, “One of our flights to Varanasi received a security threat.” The spokesperson added that, in line with established protocol, the government’s Bomb Threat Assessment Committee was immediately notified and all necessary security procedures were initiated. All passengers and crew members were disembarked safely upon landing.
Following the landing, security agencies conducted a thorough inspection of the aircraft. According to the United News of India, no suspicious items were found on the plane. After mandated security checks were completed, the aircraft was cleared to continue its operations.
This incident is the latest in a series of similar security alerts involving Indian airlines. In June, an Air India flight from the United Kingdom was diverted to Saudi Arabia due to a bomb threat. Earlier that same month, a flight operated by Air India subsidiary Vistara made an emergency landing in Thailand following a similar threat. In both prior cases, searches of the aircraft found no explosives.
Pattern of Recent Threats
In October 2024, aviation authorities in India contended with a wave of nearly 100 flight disruptions in a single week caused by hoax threats, many of which were issued via the social media platform X. Indian police and security agencies launched investigations into the accounts posting the threats. At the time, India’s civil aviation minister, K Ram Mohan Naidu, described the activities as a “matter of grave concern” and affirmed that necessary measures would be taken to ensure passenger safety. It is important to note that investigations into these threats are ongoing, and individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.