In a troubling escalation of bomb threats targeting Indian airlines, a Vistara flight from Frankfurt to Mumbai declared a general emergency before landing safely at Mumbai airport early Thursday morning. This incident marks the 20th bomb threat reported by Indian carriers within a week.
The flight, UK 28, was over Pakistan when it transmitted the emergency code 7700 at around 6 AM IST, indicating a serious situation. It landed safely in Mumbai at approximately 7:40 AM.
This incident follows a series of bomb threats affecting Indian airlines. On Monday, three international flights received threats, with an additional ten threats reported on Tuesday and at least six on Wednesday. All threats were communicated via social media and later confirmed to be false. Major scheduled airlines and smaller regional carriers were impacted.
Response from Vistara and Authorities
A Vistara spokesperson confirmed that flight UK 028 received a security threat through social media, prompting immediate notification of relevant authorities as per standard protocol. The aircraft landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and was taken to an isolation bay where all passengers were safely disembarked. The airline is cooperating fully with security agencies for further checks.
Government Concern and Arrests
Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu expressed serious concern about these disruptive acts, condemning them as “mischievous and unlawful.” He emphasized the potential threat to aviation safety and operational integrity. Naidu also noted that Mumbai Police have arrested a minor linked to bomb threats against three flights, assuring that efforts are underway to identify and prosecute others involved.
In a separate incident, a Canadian Air Force aircraft was deployed to ferry stranded passengers from an Air India flight to Chicago after it was diverted to Iqaluit airport due to a bomb threat.
