IndiGo Lucknow-Dammam flight diverted to Ahmedabad Airport after ‘bomb’ threat

Ahmedabad: An IndiGo flight from Lucknow to Dammam in Saudi Arabia was diverted to Ahmedabad on Thursday evening following a bomb threat, marking the second such incident involving an India-Saudi flight in the city within a fortnight.

IndiGo flight 6E 97, which departed Lucknow at around 4 pm, landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad at 5.43 pm after the threat was reported.

According to Airport Police, the flight crew found a tissue paper bearing the word “bomb”, prompting the pilots to divert the aircraft to Ahmedabad as a precaution.

The aircraft was carrying 107 passengers and six crew members. After landing, all passengers were deboarded and taken to Terminal 2, where security agencies began carrying out checks.

“Checking of the plane by the Crime Branch, SOG (Special Operations Group), the local police and the CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) is ongoing. No suspicious object has been found on board yet,” Airport Police Inspector A.D. Chavda said.

The incident bears a striking resemblance to the August 31 bomb scare, when an Air India Express flight operating from Dammam to Delhi was diverted to Ahmedabad after cabin crew found a tissue paper with the word “bomb” written on it in the aircraft’s lavatory.

That flight was carrying 32 passengers, all of whom were deboarded and questioned following the emergency landing. Security agencies subsequently conducted a detailed search of the aircraft but did not find anything suspicious.

An Air India Express spokesperson had said the Dammam-Delhi flight was diverted to Ahmedabad as a precaution after the airline received a “specific bomb threat”.

Following such threats, the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) at the airport assesses the seriousness of the alert and directs security agencies to take necessary measures. These may include deboarding passengers and checking cabin and checked-in baggage, cargo, catering material, and the aircraft before it is cleared for further operations. DeshGujarat