NEW DELHI: An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Pune received a bomb threat on Thursday evening, which later turned out to be a hoax.
The threat was discovered after the aircraft landed safely in Pune, in the form of a handwritten note on a tissue found in the lavatory.
This was the second bomb threat received by an IndiGo flight within five days, issued in a similar manner.
Flight 6E 2608, an Airbus A321neo, took off at 7.06 pm from Terminal 2 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, 36 minutes behind schedule, and landed in Pune at 9.27 pm. The handwritten note in the lavatory was detected after the flight landed.
On arrival, the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay and passengers were disembarked. Bomb disposal squads and security personnel carried out thorough checks of the aircraft before the threat was declared a hoax.
In a statement, IndiGo said: “Soon after landing, a security threat was noticed onboard IndiGo flight 6E 2608 operating from Delhi to Pune on 22 January. Following the established protocol, we informed the relevant authorities immediately and are fully cooperating with them in following the standard operating procedures. All our customers and crew disembarked safely. We remain committed towards the safety and security of our customers, crew and aircraft.”
In a previous incident on January 18, an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Bagdogra in West Bengal was diverted to Lucknow midway after Air Traffic Control received a threat call about a bomb on board, a source said. The threat was later found to be a tissue paper in the lavatory. Flight 6E 6650 landed safely in Lucknow and passengers were evacuated.