New Delhi: An Akasa Air flight bound for Bengaluru had to return to Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) after receiving a bomb threat on Wednesday. The aircraft, carrying 184 people, declared an emergency shortly after takeoff. The airline confirmed that flight QP 1335, scheduled to land in Bengaluru, was diverted back to Delhi as a precautionary measure.Emergency alert mid-flightAccording to an official statement by Akasa Air, the flight had 174 passengers, including three infants, and seven crew members on board. Akasa Air flight QP 1335, flying from Delhi to Bengaluru on October 16, 2024, and carrying 174 passengers, 3 infants, and 7 crew members on board, received a security alert, the airline spokesperson said. The pilot acted swiftly following emergency protocols and rerouted the plane to Delhi. The airline further added, The Emergency Response teams are closely monitoring the situation, and the Captain is adhering to all necessary emergency procedures for a safe landing. The estimated arrival time in Delhi was approximately 14:00 hours.Rising bomb threats on Indian flightsThis incident is the latest in a string of bomb threats involving Indian flights. Just a day earlier, seven flights, including one destined for the United States, were subject to bomb threats via social media, forcing authorities to conduct rigorous security drills across several airports. On Tuesday, Air Indias flight to Chicago was also diverted to a Canadian airport after a bomb scare. Fortunately, no suspicious items were found aboard any of these flights, and the threats were declared hoaxes. Over the last two days, at least 10 Indian flights have faced similar bomb threats, all of which were cleared after security checks.
