Air India and IndiGo flights from Mumbai receive bomb threats

Air India and IndiGo flights from Mumbai receive bomb threats 

A New York-bound Air India flight with 239 passengers, departing from Mumbai, was diverted to Delhi early Monday due to a bomb threat, according to officials.

Police said a full security check followed standard procedures, but no suspicious items were found on the plane.

Air India explained, "Flight AI 119, operating from Mumbai to JFK on October 14, received a specific security alert. Following instructions from the government's security regulatory committee, it was diverted to Delhi."

They added, "Our ground staff are working to minimize the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected delay."

All 258 people on board, including 239 passengers and 19 crew members, disembarked and are going through security checks. Once these procedures are done, the passengers will be moved to hotels. The flight has been rescheduled to depart for New York from Delhi on Tuesday morning.

A senior police officer confirmed that the aircraft was thoroughly checked at Indira Gandhi International Airport, with all safety protocols followed, and nothing suspicious was found. The bomb threat came from a post on the microblogging platform X, and the account responsible is being investigated.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, visited the Delhi airport to assess the situation. He posted on X that security checks were being carried out after the plane's emergency landing, and he directed airport and Air India staff to ensure all passengers received necessary help and accommodation.

In addition to the Air India flight, two IndiGo flights from Mumbai also received bomb threats on Monday. One flight was heading to Muscat and the other to Kuwait. The threats were received before takeoff, and both planes were moved to isolated areas for security checks.