An Air India flight from Delhi to Chicago was rerouted to a Canadian airport on Tuesday due to a bomb threat, according to an airline official.
"Flight AI127, which was operating from Delhi to Chicago on October 15, 2024, faced a security threat that was posted online. As a precautionary measure, the flight landed at Iqaluit Airport in Canada. Both the aircraft and its passengers are currently undergoing re-screening in accordance with established security protocols."
The airline further stated: "Air India has mobilized agencies at the airport to support the passengers until their journey can continue. Air India, along with other local airlines, has been the target of several threats in recent days." Despite previous threats being proven false, "as a responsible airline operator, all threats are treated with utmost seriousness," the airline emphasized.
Air India also expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to customers and pledged full cooperation with authorities to identify those responsible for the threats, ensuring they are held accountable for the disruption and inconvenience caused to passengers. Additionally, Air India is considering legal action to recover financial damages resulting from these disruptions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has scheduled a high-level meeting on Wednesday following a series of bomb threats received on Monday and Tuesday. "We have identified and suspended several accounts that were posting threats on social media regarding bombs in airplanes. It has been reported that some threats originated from London and other countries," said a senior police officer.
"In the last 24 hours, we have received multiple bomb threats across various sectors. We are addressing all calls and have informed concerned police officers to identify the individuals behind these threats," said an officer from airport security.
Earlier on Monday, a Mumbai to New York flight was diverted to Delhi due to a security concern arising from a bomb threat. Earlier, an Air India spokesperson released a statement saying, "Flight AI119 operating from Mumbai to JFK on October 14 received a specific security alert and, following instructions from the government's security regulatory committee, was diverted to Delhi. All passengers have disembarked and are at the Delhi airport terminal."
