Mumbai, March 10: A Mumbai-New York flight of Air India with 322 people on board returned from Azerbaijan skies eight hours after take-off on Monday due to a bomb threat, which was later found to be a hoax.
The security alert was sounded after a bomb threat was found written on a paper in one of the plane’s lavatories, said a security official. After a safe landing in Mumbai, the aircraft underwent mandatory checks by security agencies, which, after a thorough investigation, declared the threat to be a hoax, said an official.
“The flight has been rescheduled to operate at 0500 Hrs of March 11, 2025, and all passengers have been offered hotel accommodation, meals, and other assistance until then,” said an AI spokesman.
At the time when the pilots decided to turn back towards Mumbai, the Boeing 777 aircraft, with 303 passengers and 19 crew members on board, was flying in Azerbaijan’s air space at an altitude of 30,000 feet, said an official.
The plane touched down at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport amid a full emergency drill and was parked at an isolated spot on the taxiway.
“The passengers were deboard before security men moved in,” said an official. A bomb-detection team and emergency fire tenders were pressed into service, and the plane was scanned using scanners and dog squad before declaring the threat a hoax, said the official.
Later, the AI spokesman said in a statement, “A potential security threat was detected mid-flight on AI119 operating Mumbai-New York (JFK) today, 10 March 2025. After following the necessary protocols, the flight air-returned to Mumbai, in the interest of the safety and security of all on board. The flight landed safely back in Mumbai at 10.25 Hrs (local time).”
The airline said, “Our colleagues on the ground are making sure to minimise the inconvenience caused to our passengers by this disruption. As always, Air India accords the highest priority to the safety of passengers and crew.”
The plane had earlier taken off at 2 a.m. from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for its 15-hour journey to John F Kennedy Airport in New York.
IANS