An Air India flight from the UK was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Sunday because of a bomb risk.
The aircraft landed safely in Riyadh, the embattled airline stated, and underwent safety checks.
“Flight AI114 from Birmingham to New Delhi on June 21 obtained a bomb risk and was consequently diverted to Riyadh, the place it landed safely and accomplished safety checks,” a spokesperson stated. “The inconvenience triggered to our passengers because of this unexpected disruption is sincerely regretted. Different preparations are being made to fly the passengers to their locations.”
Air India has been underneath growing stress since one among its Boeing Dreamliner planes crashed shortly after takeoff within the western metropolis of Ahmedabad on 12 June and killed at the very least 270 folks, together with all however one of many 242 passengers and crew on board.
India’s aviation common DGCA has ordered enhanced inspections of the airline’s Boeing 787 and 777 fleets, main it to quickly cancel or cut back dozens of worldwide flights.
Within the wake of the incident, Air India has additionally minimize its worldwide wide-body operations by 15 per cent to accommodate intensified security inspections.
Hoax bomb threats have grown more and more frequent in India, severely disrupting air journey over the previous 12 months. Between January and November 2024, practically 1,000 such threats had been reported, marking a tenfold enhance from the 12 months earlier than, deputy civil aviation minister Murlidhar Mohol informed the parliament late final 12 months.
In October alone, over 500 threats had been obtained inside two weeks, with a very chaotic day seeing as many as 32 flight disruptions.
Current examples embody an IndiGo flight from Kochi to Delhi, carrying 157 passengers, that was diverted to Nagpur on 18 June after a hoax e-mail and an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi that returned mid-flight on 13 June because of a false bomb word discovered within the bathroom. AI 379 departed with 156 passengers for Phuket at 9.30am native time, solely to make a loop over the Andaman Sea and return, in accordance with Flightradar24.
In the meantime, investigators from the UK, the US, Boeing, and Common Electrical have joined the continued investigation into the Ahmedabad crash. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had simply taken off for London Gatwick when it crashed.
The aircraft had one engine changed in March this 12 months whereas the opposite had undergone servicing in 2023 and wasn’t due for upkeep till December, in accordance with Air India chairperson N Chandrasekaran.
Earlier, it was reported that the airplane’s black field, which sustained important injury within the crash, can be despatched to the US for evaluation.
So as to add to the Indian airline’s rising string of crises, as much as 11 passengers and crew reportedly fell ailing from suspected meals poisoning aboard a flight from London to Mumbai on Monday.
Passengers on the nine-hour Boeing 777 flight described feeling dizzy and nauseous throughout completely different phases of their journey.
Air India confirmed that 5 passengers and two crew members had been affected and obtained medical consideration upon touchdown in Mumbai.
“Our medical consultants had been ready to supply immediate medical assist after the airplane safely touched down in Mumbai,” it stated, in accordance with The Financial Occasions.
“Two passengers and two cabin employees members who had been nonetheless feeling ailing after touchdown had been dropped at the hospital room for added testing earlier than being launched. Now we have knowledgeable the regulator and are trying into the incident.”
The Impartial has reached out to Air India for remark.
