Bomb threat assessors were alerted on Wednesday after an Air India Express flight to Varanasi received a security alert.
The domestic Air India Express flight departed Mumbai, India, at 2.30pm on Wednesday 12 November, for a two-hour flight to Varanasi with 176 passengers and crew members onboard.
The security threat prompted emergency protocols to be put in place at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi as the flight came in to land.
An Air India spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent: “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 flight landed safely and all guests were disembarked. The aircraft continued operations post completion of all mandated security checks.”
The United News of India reported that security agencies inspected the plane but found no suspicious items.
The incident follows several other similar incidents involving bomb threats on the airline.
In June, an Air India flight from the UK was diverted to Saudi Arabia due to a bomb threat.
Heading to New Delhi, the flight had to make an emergency landing in Riyadh, where it underwent security checks.
Earlier that same month, Air India subsidiary Vistara was forced to make an emergency landing in Thailand after receiving a bomb threat.
A Thai official said they searched the aircraft after it landed, but did not find a bomb.
The threat came only a day after the airline was involved in the worst plane crash in a decade that killed over 240 people.
In October 2024, it was revealed that a wave of threats had disrupted nearly 100 flights in India in one week alone.
The threats, issued mostly via X, alarmed passengers and sent the aviation authorities scrambling to mount a response.
Indian police and security agencies launched investigations into the hoax threats, including contacting X about information on certain accounts posting them.
India’s civil aviation minister at the time said that urgent steps were being taken to address the situation.
“Such activities are a matter of grave concern,” K Ram Mohan Naidu added. “We will take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and the smooth functioning of the aviation sector.”
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