New Delhi: An Air India Express aircraft operating from Dammam in Saudi Arabia to New Delhi was diverted to Ahmedabad on Monday after a bomb threat was reported during the flight, officials said.
The aircraft, which landed without incident at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, was taken through security procedures and all passengers were safely moved out of the plane.
The Airbus A320 departed from Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd International Airport at 10.28 am local time and arrived at Ahmedabad airport at 4.27 pm. Following the landing, the passengers were escorted to Terminal 2, a source said.
According to Ahmedabad police, the airport’s Operations Control Centre was informed at about 3.40 pm that the Air India Express flight would be diverted to Ahmedabad, as reported by The New Indian Express.
“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 police said in an official statement.
The police said the threat was being examined and that no suspicious object had been detected during the initial searches.
“Once the investigation is complete, the flight will be sent immediately and the process of registering a crime is underway,” the statement said.
Security agencies responded to the alert by deploying a bomb detection and disposal squad, sniffer dogs and personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force at the airport. A detailed inspection of the aircraft was carried out, but no explosive material was recovered, officials said.
Air India Express also confirmed that the flight had been diverted following the threat.
“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 airline said the threat assessment committee had been informed immediately and that established security protocols were activated as soon as the information was received.
The aircraft will undergo the remaining mandatory security checks before being cleared for service, the airline said.
“The aircraft will be released for operations after necessary security checks are completed.”
