An Air India flight, AI 119, traveling from Mumbai to New York, was diverted to Delhi on October 14, 2024, due to a bomb threat received via social media. The flight, which took off at 2 a.m., landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) at approximately 4:10 a.m. All passengers were safely deplaned and are currently being processed at the airport terminal while standard safety protocols are in place.

Delhi Police confirmed that the aircraft is undergoing thorough security checks. The bomb threat prompted immediate action in line with instructions from the government’s security regulatory committee. Authorities are investigating the source of the threat, which was reportedly communicated through a tweet. This incident follows a similar event last month involving another Air India flight that also faced a bomb threat. On that occasion, a note indicating a bomb was found in the aircraft’s washroom. In addition to the Air India flight, two IndiGo flights from Mumbai also received bomb threats today, leading to heightened security measures across the board.

Bomb threats on Air India flights, while taken very seriously, are often found to be hoaxes. For instance, on October 14, 2024, an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York was diverted due to a bomb threat that was later confirmed as a false alarm. This incident was part of a larger trend, as similar threats affected two IndiGo flights on the same day.

In recent months, there has been an uptick in bomb threats across Indian aviation. For example, in August 2024, an Air India flight was involved in a bomb scare that turned out to be a hoax, and there have been multiple incidents prompting emergency responses. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has noted an increase in such threats and is considering stricter penalties for those responsible for hoaxes, including placing them on a no-fly list for five years.

While specific statistics on the frequency of bomb threats against Air India flights are not readily available, the recent incidents highlight ongoing concerns regarding aviation security in India.