New York-bound Air India flight returns to Mumbai following bomb threat

Mumbai, Mar 10 (PTI) A New York-bound Air India flight, carrying 303 passengers, returned to the city on Monday morning after being airborne for nearly nine hours following a bomb threat, according to officials.

A passenger spotted a note with the message 'There is a bomb in the flight' written on it inside one of the lavatories and alerted the crew, a Sahar police official here said and added that the aircraft made an emergency landing.

The Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft landed safely at the Mumbai airport at 10.25 am.

"Nothing suspicious has been found (so far) and we are conducting the investigation," the official said.

Further, the official said they were in the process of registering an FIR against an unidentified person in connection with the matter.

There were 322 persons, including 19 crew members, in the Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, a source said.

In a statement in the morning, Air India said, "A potential security threat was detected mid-flight on AI119 operating Mumbai-New York (JFK) on Monday. After following the necessary protocols, the flight air-returned to Mumbai, in the interest of the safety and security of all on board".

The aircraft is undergoing mandatory checks by security agencies, and Air India is extending its full cooperation to the authorities, the airline said.

The flight has been rescheduled to operate at 5 am on Tuesday, and all passengers have been offered hotel accommodation, meals, and other assistance until then, it said.

"Our colleagues on the ground are making sure to minimise the inconvenience caused to our passengers by this disruption. As always, Air India accords the highest priority to the safety of passengers and crew," it added.

Last month, an American Airlines flight from New York to Delhi was diverted to Rome due to a suspected bomb threat.

As per data provided to the Rajya Sabha by the civil aviation ministry on Monday, at least 15 flights of various airlines have received hoax bomb threats this year, taking the total tally of such threats to 833 since 2020. PTI RAM ZA GK BAL BAL