Akasa Air, IndiGo flights get bomb threats as security concerns to Indian airlines continue

The aircraft isolated following a bomb threat on Tuesday at Hyderabad Airport. Pic/sources

Amid on going security concerns to the Indian airlines, Akasa Air and IndiGo on Tuesday continued to receive bomb threats.

According to the officials, Akasa Air flight QP 1612 from Bangalore to Varanasi was diverted to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad on Tuesday evening.

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The aircraft received the threat around 5:05 pm, prompting immediate action from security authorities, they said, adding that shortly after the alert, the flight landed safely at RGIA at approximately 5:10 pm and was directed to an isolation bay for precautionary measures.

Emergency protocols were initiated as soon as the aircraft arrived, official sources said, adding that during the anti-sabotage checks by BDDS team nothing suspicious found and the flight was later pushed back from isolation bay for reboarding.

An Akasa Air spokesperson said, "Some of our flights operating on October 22, 2024 received security alerts today. The Akasa Air Emergency Response team was immediately activated and initiated all standard operating procedures, including informing regulatory authorities and monitoring the situation in real-time. Captains and crew members of respective flights followed the required emergency procedures, and prescribed safety and security protocols in coordination with the local authorities. One of our flights, QP 1612 flying from Bengaluru to Varanasi on October 22, 2024, and carrying 183 passengers, 4 children and 6 crew, diverted to Hyderabad. The Captain followed all required emergency procedures and landed safely at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at 17:06hrs. All passengers were deplaned post arrival. The Airport Services teams at all impacted airports coordinated with local authorities to ensure efficient handling of the situation including offering refreshments as required. Following defined procedures and after thorough inspections, all aircraft have been released for operations."

Meanwhile, IndiGo airlines on Tuesday received at least 13 more bomb threats, they said.

Earlier, 30 more incidents of bomb threats to flights have been reported on Tuesday.

A total number of 46 more threats were received by Tuesday evening apart from the 30 bomb threats those were received by October 22 morning.

The airlines those received threats on Tuesday included Air India, IndiGo, Akasa and Vistara, said sources.

Air India received 13 threats, IndiGo 13, Akasa Air 12 and Vistara 8, the officials said.

Further details will be updated.