An Air India Express flight from Mumbai to Varanasi made an emergency landing at Varanasi airport following bomb scare on Wednesday.
"One of our flights to Varanasi received a security threat. In line with protocol, the was immediately alerted, and all necessary security procedures promptly initiated," an Air India Express spokesperson stated.
According to officials, Air India flight IX 1023 was carrying 182 passengers when it was diverted to Varanasi. All passengers were safely evacuated, and a thorough inspection of the aircraft is underway.
"The emergency landing of this Air India flight was carried out based on information about a bomb on board," an airport official said.
The Airport Authority informed over the phone that all passengers were safe and the aircraft was being checked.
"An emergency landing in Varanasi was carried out based on information about a bomb in the Air India flight coming from Mumbai to Varanasi," said the official.
An Air India Express spokesperson stated that a government-appointed Bomb Threat Assessment Committee was immediately alerted as protocol. Confirming the incident, an Air India Express spokesperson said, "One of our flights to Varanasi received a security threat. In line with protocol, the Government-appointed Bomb Threat Assessment Committee was immediately alerted, and all necessary security procedures promptly initiated."
The spokesperson further added, "The flight landed safely and all guests have been disembarked. The aircraft will be released for operations once all mandated security checks are completed."
Meanwhile, a bomb threat email received on IndiGo's grievance portal on Wednesday triggered security checks at Delhi Airport's Terminal 3, but later turned out to be a hoax.
The email, which also mentioned several other airports, including Delhi, Chennai, and Goa, prompted an immediate response from security agencies, and precautionary checks were conducted at all the locations.
According to Delhi Police, the fire brigade received a call at 4 pm on Wednesday about a bomb being found at Delhi Airport Terminal 3. However, after investigating the scene, it was determined to be a hoax.
The email was received on IndiGo's grievance portal. It mentioned several other airports, including Delhi, Chennai, and Goa. Following the information, precautionary checks have been conducted at all locations.
Following the recent car blast in Delhi, which claimed several lives and left many injured, security has been placed on high alert across the city. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
