Bomb Threat: IndiGo Flight Diverts Following Note Found In ATR-72 Lavatory

Summary

• IndiGo ATR 72 was forced to land due to a bomb threat note found in the lavatory.
• The flight diverted to Nagpur; all passengers safely disembarked, and security checks were carried out.
• An almost identical incident happened in 2022 when IndiGo’s Airbus A321neo was forced to conduct an emergency landing.

An IndiGo ATR 72 turboprop flying between Jabalpur (JLR) and Hyderabad (HYD) was forced to make an emergency landing following a reported bomb threat note found in the aircraft’s lavatory. This incident marks yet another false bomb threat targeting an IndiGo flight within a period of just three months.

The flight diverted to Nagpur (NAG)

The IndiGo ATR 72-600 regional turboprop aircraft, registered as VT-IRL, was performing scheduled flight E67308 from Jabalpur Airport (JLR) to Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD) when the pilots were forced to make an emergency landing at Nagpur Airport (NAG), according to Flightradar24.com data.

Photo: Paulose NK | Shutterstock

According to a report by OpIndia, the flight was diverted because a handwritten note, with the words ‘Blast 9.00 am’, was found scribbled on a piece of toilet paper in the aircraft’s lavatory.

The Indian budget carrier confirmed the incident to The Hindu, admitting that the flight was diverted following a hoax bomb threat. In a statement, the airline’s spokesperson said:

“Flight 6E 7308, en route from Jabalpur to Hyderabad, was diverted to Nagpur following a bomb threat. Upon landing, all passengers were safely disembarked, and the necessary security checks were promptly carried out. Assistance and refreshments were provided to all passengers, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.”

Security staff examined the bags of all the passengers. After the security checks were carried out, authorities found no explosions in the aircraft. Indian police authorities have launched an investigation into the bomb threat. Simple Flying has asked IndiGo for a comment.

The airline did not indicate whether the flight was fully booked. However, it is worth noting that the airline’s ATR 72-600 can accommodate a total of 78 passengers, according to ch-aviation data. Presently, IndiGo operates a fleet of 45 ATR 72-600s.

Similar bomb threat incidents

An almost identical incident happened in 2022 when the airline’s Airbus A321neo aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing after the crew found a piece of tissue paper with the word ‘Bomb’ written on it.

Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock

The airline operated flight 6E379 between Kolkata (CCU) and Bengaluru (BLR). All went on without incident, but that changed after the A321neo touched down at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. More than 200 passengers on the flight had deplaned, and one of the cabin crew members found a note behind a seat with the word ‘bomb’ written on it.

On June 1, 2024, an IndiGo flight from Chennai (MAA), bound for Mumbai (BOM), carrying 172 passengers and crew, made an emergency landing in Mumbai due to a false bomb threat. This marked the second occurrence of a false bomb threat targeting an IndiGo flight. The previous incident happened on May 28, 2024, during a flight from Delhi (DEL) to Varanasi (VNS).

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