Mumbai, 17 October, 2024: A Mumbai-bound Vistara flight with 147 people on board made an emergency landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on Wednesday after a bomb threat was received, according to a source.
According to the reports, the Boeing 787 aircraft, which had arrived from Frankfurt in Germany, was directed to the airport’s isolation bay for mandatory security checks following the alert.
The flight landed safely at 7:45 a.m., with 134 passengers and 13 crew members on board, sources said.
“The Vistara flight, which departed Frankfurt at 8:20 p.m. (local time) on Tuesday, made the emergency landing at approximately 7:45 a.m.,” a source added.
Vistara confirmed in a statement that its Frankfurt-Mumbai flight received a security threat via social media, but the aircraft landed safely in Mumbai.
“Flight UK 028 from Frankfurt to Mumbai on October 16, 2024, was subject to a security threat received through social media,” the airline said.
As per established protocols, all relevant authorities were immediately alerted, Vistara added, noting that the plane was moved to the isolation bay after landing.
“All passengers were safely disembarked, and we are fully cooperating with the security agencies to complete the required security checks,” the airline stated.
It is pertinent to mention that Delhi Police have filed an FIR regarding bomb threats made against several domestic and international flights over the past two days and have begun an investigation, as nearly a dozen flights, including some international ones, were threatened in the last two days, but no suspicious items were discovered onboard, according to police.
One such incident involved an Akasa Air flight headed to Bengaluru with over 180 passengers, which had to return to Delhi after receiving a bomb threat.
During a parliamentary committee meeting on Wednesday, the civil aviation secretary said that authorities are identifying those behind the hoax threats and will take action against them.
