According to sources, Afghanistan officials on Sunday refused to allow a Vistara airliner headed for Frankfurt to enter its airspace due to a bomb threat, forcing the plane to return to Delhi.
They added that more than 240 people were on board the UK25 flight, which took off from the country’s capital to Frankfurt, Germany, using a Boeing 787 aircraft.
The “non-specific” nature of the bomb threat led to the decision to proceed with the trip to Frankfurt, according to the insiders who spoke to PTI.
However, the sources stated that because of the bomb danger, the Afghan government refused to allow the overflight of their airspace.
The airline did not immediately comment on the situation.
This week, bomb threats were sent to around 100 flights, but they were all false.
Vistara reported receiving security threats for six flights, including UK25, earlier in the day.
According to the sources, the plane returned and landed safely at the Delhi airport approximately 1620 hours after Afghan authorities refused to allow it to fly over their airspace.
At approximately 1310 hours, it had departed the airport.
“Flight UK25 from Delhi to Frankfurt (DEL-FRA) is returning to Delhi (DEL) and is expected to arrive in Delhi (DEL) at 1620 hours,” the airline had stated in a post on X at 1619 hours.
According to data from Flightradar24.com, the aircraft briefly entered Afghanistan and circled into Pakistani territory before reversing course.
On the way to Frankfurt, the aircraft typically passes through the airspace of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and a few more nations.
