Bomb threats to Indian airlines continue: Vistara’s Delhi-London flight, diverted to Frankfurt

Three Vistara flights — Delhi-Paris, Delhi-Hong Kong and Delhi-London that took off on October 18 received bomb threats. Although two flights landed safely in Hong Kong and Paris, the Delhi-London flight was diverted to Frankfurt, and later proceeded to London, officials confirmed on October 29.

Speaking about the Delhi-London flight, an airline spokesperson said that the aircraft landed safely at Frankfurt Airport, where it underwent security inspections before being cleared to continue its journey to London, arriving around 11:40 PM local time.

“Vistara flight UK17 operating from Delhi to London on October 18, 2024 received a security threat on social media. In line with the protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed and as a precautionary measure, the pilots decided to divert the flight to Frankfurt,” the spokesperson explained.

Also read: 33 hoax bomb threats received by airlines in 4 days in India: See list of carriers

In another incident, Akasa Air’s flight QP 1366 from Bengaluru to Mumbai received a security alert shortly before departure, leading to the deplaning of passengers while local authorities conducted necessary checks. The airline stated, “We request your understanding as our team on ground did everything possible to reduce inconvenience.” Recently, nearly 40 flights operated by Indian carriers have reported bomb threats that turned out to be false alarms, prompting the Civil Aviation Ministry to consider stricter measures, including adding offenders to a no-fly list.

Similarly, an Air India Express flight from Delhi to Jaipur on October 18 faced bomb threats and made an emergency landing at Jaipur airport. Another Alliance Air flight 9I 770 from Kolkata to Guwahati received bomb threat on October 18, and landed safely at its destination.

Also read: British Airways CEO backs airlines safety protocols amid hoax bomb threats

The London-bound Vistara flight from Delhi was diverted to Frankfurt after the bomb threat, which turned out to be hoax, the official said. In a statement on early Saturday, the airline spokesperson said the flight landed safely at Frankfurt airport.

“Vistara flight UK17 operating from Delhi to London on October 18, 2024 received a security threat on social media. In line with the protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed and as a precautionary measure, the pilots decided to divert the flight to Frankfurt,” the spokesperson said.

Vistara’s, Delhi-Paris flight landed safely in Paris and so did the Delhi-Hong Kong flight, land safely at its destination.