Delhi-Bengaluru flight grounded after bomb threat

New Delhi: A Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight with more than 180 people on board returned to the national capital on Wednesday afternoon following a bomb threat, according to sources. The sources in the know said the flight QP1335 landed safely at the Delhi airport. An emergency was declared at the airport for the aircraft after the bomb threat. The aircraft has been positioned at an isolation bay, and all necessary procedures are being followed to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, according to Delhi Police.

In the past two days, nearly a dozen Indian flights, including some heading for foreign destinations, have received bomb threats, and nothing suspicious was found in the planes. Delhi Police, in a statement, said that a security alert related to a bomb threat was received concerning an Akasa Air flight en route from Delhi to Bangalore. Following standard safety protocols, the flight was promptly redirected back to IGI Airport, Delhi, where it landed safely. "The aircraft has been positioned at an isolation bay, and all necessary procedures are being followed to ensure the safety of passengers and crew," Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Usha Rangnani said in a police statement.

In a statement, Akasa Air said the flight carrying 174 passengers, 3 infants and 7 crew members received a security alert. "The captain followed all required emergency procedures, diverted the flight back to Delhi and landed safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport at 13:48 hrs," it said. As per the prescribed safety and security procedures, Akasa Air said all passengers were deplaned at 13:57 hrs in coordination with the local authorities, who undertook the necessary safety and security checks.