A full emergency was declared at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Thursday morning following a bomb threat on an Air India flight from Mumbai. The threat was reported at 7:30 AM and the emergency was promptly activated at 7:36 AM, according to airport officials.
On Thursday morning, the sources told PTI that the pilot of the aircraft informed the ATC after discovering a 'Bomb in flight' statement written on tissue paper in the plane's washroom.
The flight, AI 657, which was carrying 135 passengers, landed safely at around 8:00 AM and was immediately directed to an isolation bay. Passengers were swiftly evacuated by 8:44 AM, and security teams, including a bomb detection squad, are currently inspecting the aircraft.
Air India issued a statement confirming that a security alert was detected during the flight's journey from Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram. The airline emphasised that all security procedures were followed with the safety of passengers and crew as the top priority.
Air India, in a statement, said that a specific security alert was detected on flight AI 657 during cruise from Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram and "the crew carried out all the laid down security drills keeping passenger safety as top priority." "All passengers and crew disembarked safely. Air India accords top priority to the safety of its passengers and crew," an airline spokesperson said, as per a report on PTI.
"There has been no impact on life. Airport operations are currently uninterrupted," the sources said.
Airport operations remain unaffected by the incident and flights continue as scheduled. Authorities are still investigating the origin of the bomb threat, with further details expected to emerge as the situation develops.
Last month, a 13-year-old boy was detained for sending an email to Delhi Airport allegedly claiming that a bomb had been placed on Dubai flight. However, later, it was found out to be a hoax threat.