NEW DELHI: An Air India Express flight from Dammam in Saudi Arabia to New Delhi was diverted to Ahmedabad airport on Monday evening due to a bomb threat on board. The plane landed safely at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport and all passengers were evacuated safely, sources said.
IX 170 had 40 people on board, including crew members. The Airbus A320 took off from King Fahd International Airport on Monday at 10.28 am (local time) and landed at Ahmedabad airport at 4.27 pm. Passengers were safely escorted to Terminal 2, a source said.
In an official statement, Ahmedabad police said that around 3.40 pm, the Operations Control Centre was alerted that an Air India Express flight was being diverted to Ahmedabad airport.
“The First Officer found a tissue paper with the word BOMB in English and a picture of the bag in which it was present in the bathroom. The flight then landed safely at 4.27 pm.” There were 32 passengers, four cockpit crew and four cabin crew, the statement said.
It added that nothing suspicious had been found yet. “Once the investigation is complete, the flight will be sent immediately and the process of registering a crime is underway,” police said.
The bomb detection squad, sniffer dogs and the Central Industrial Security Force were pressed into action, but no explosive material was found.
An Air India Express spokesperson confirmed the incident. In a statement, the airline said, “One of our flights from Dammam to Delhi was diverted to Ahmedabad as a precaution and in keeping with security protocols after being notified of a specific bomb threat. The government-appointed Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was alerted immediately, and all security procedures promptly initiated. The flight landed and all guests disembarked safely.”
The statement added, “The aircraft will be released for operations after necessary security checks are completed.”