An Air India flight from Mumbai to London declared an onboard emergency on Thursday after receiving a bomb threat, adding to a series of similar incidents involving airlines this week.
The flight, AI129, was “squawking 7700” – the emergency code used by pilots to alert air traffic control of a general emergency. The Boeing 777 took off from Mumbai at 7:05 am IST and was seen circling over East England before declaring the emergency. The flight landed safely at Heathrow Airport at 12:05 pm UK time.
This marks a troubling pattern of bomb threats, with five Air India flights, two Vistara, and two IndiGo flights receiving similar threats today alone. A Mumbai-bound Vistara flight from Frankfurt, carrying 147 passengers, was also subject to a bomb threat. It was immediately taken to an isolation bay upon landing in Mumbai, where security checks were conducted. Similarly, an IndiGo flight from Istanbul to Mumbai was isolated upon arrival for thorough inspection after a bomb threat.
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Both Vistara and IndiGo confirmed that all passengers were safely disembarked, and they are fully cooperating with the security agencies. Authorities are investigating the wave of threats, which has persisted for four consecutive days. The aviation body responsible for overseeing security is taking all necessary measures to ensure passenger safety amid growing concerns.
The recent surge in bomb threats has caused significant disruption and anxiety among passengers and airlines, leading to heightened security protocols across the board.
Earlier on Wednesday, a 17-year-old boy from Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, was detained by Mumbai Police for making multiple bomb threats against various airlines since Monday. The false threats caused significant disruptions, including an Air India flight that had to be diverted to a remote airport in Canada.
According to the police, the teenager, a school dropout, made the threats in an attempt to frame a friend over a financial dispute. He reportedly created a social media account on X (formerly Twitter) using his friend’s name and posted the bomb threats to incriminate him.
