According to Jaipur Airport Police SHO Sandeep Basera, at around 12.45 am on Saturday, 189 passengers on board Air India Express aircraft IX-196, which was travelling from Dubai to Jaipur, received a bomb threat via email. According to a police officer cited by news agency ANI, the plane touched down at Jaipur International Airport at 1:20 am, and following a comprehensive inspection by security personnel, nothing unusual was discovered.
Authorities reportedly removed or blocked roughly ten social media accounts for making bomb threats on Saturday, continuing the trend of domestic airlines getting such threats for a sixth day.
The Air India Express incident occurred simultaneously as a Vistara flight from Delhi to London was rerouted to Frankfurt on Friday due to a bomb threat.
An airline representative said early on Saturday morning that the flight safely touched down at Frankfurt airport and that required inspections are underway. After the security agencies approve, the flight will proceed to its destination.
“On October 18, 2024, Virgina flight UK17, travelling from Delhi to London, got a security threat on social media. The pilots chose to divert the flight to Frankfurt as a precaution, by protocol, and all pertinent authorities were notified immediately,” the statement stated.
Akasa Air reported that flight QP 1366, which was due to depart Bengaluru for Mumbai on Friday, received a security alert just before takeoff.
“Hence as per safety and security procedures, all passengers had to be deplaned as the local authorities followed necessary procedures. We request your understanding as our team on the ground did everything possible to reduce inconvenience,” the airline said in a post on X.