MUMBAI: An IndiGo flight from Chennai with 172 passengers and crew on board carried out an emergency landing in Mumbai on Saturday following a bomb threat to the aircraft.
This is the second instance of a bomb threat to an IndiGo flight within a span of a week. The earlier incident occurred on May 28 on a flight from Delhi to Varanasi.
Sources said that flight 6E-5314 landed safely in Mumbai at 8.45am.The flight had left Chennai around 6.50am and was en route to its destination when the bomb alert was received. “An unclaimed remote was found on board the aircraft,” said a source. The pilots informed Mumbai air traffic control and requested an emergency landing. A full-scale emergency was declared, with fire tenders and ambulances on standby as the aircraft landed safely. The aircraft was taken to an isolated bay for security checks pertaining to the bomb scare. Passengers have disembarked, sources said.
IndiGo in a statement said: “IndiGo flight 6E 5314 operating from Chennai to Mumbai had received a bomb threat. Upon landing in Mumbai, the crew followed protocol and the aircraft was taken to a isolation bay as per security agency guidelines. All passengers have safely disembarked the aircraft. The aircraft is currently undergoing inspection. Post completion of all security checks, the aircraft will be positioned back in the terminal area.”
Last week, an IndiGo flight to Varanasi from Delhi with 176 passengers on board received a bomb threat. The passengers were evacuated through emergency exits at the Delhi airport. Video clips of the evacuation showed passengers and even flight crew evacuating through the slides with their cabin baggage in tow. Under safety norms, which state that an evacuation should be completed within 90 seconds, cabin baggage is supposed to be left behind in the aircraft. Passengers are not supposed to carry any items, and even footwear like stilettos should be removed to avoid damaging the inflatable slides.
Following the Delhi incident, IndiGo derostered two pilots and cabin crew members for not following the SOPs on evacuation.
This is the second instance of a bomb threat to an IndiGo flight within a span of a week. The earlier incident occurred on May 28 on a flight from Delhi to Varanasi.
Sources said that flight 6E-5314 landed safely in Mumbai at 8.45am.The flight had left Chennai around 6.50am and was en route to its destination when the bomb alert was received. “An unclaimed remote was found on board the aircraft,” said a source. The pilots informed Mumbai air traffic control and requested an emergency landing. A full-scale emergency was declared, with fire tenders and ambulances on standby as the aircraft landed safely. The aircraft was taken to an isolated bay for security checks pertaining to the bomb scare. Passengers have disembarked, sources said.
IndiGo in a statement said: “IndiGo flight 6E 5314 operating from Chennai to Mumbai had received a bomb threat. Upon landing in Mumbai, the crew followed protocol and the aircraft was taken to a isolation bay as per security agency guidelines. All passengers have safely disembarked the aircraft. The aircraft is currently undergoing inspection. Post completion of all security checks, the aircraft will be positioned back in the terminal area.”
Last week, an IndiGo flight to Varanasi from Delhi with 176 passengers on board received a bomb threat. The passengers were evacuated through emergency exits at the Delhi airport. Video clips of the evacuation showed passengers and even flight crew evacuating through the slides with their cabin baggage in tow. Under safety norms, which state that an evacuation should be completed within 90 seconds, cabin baggage is supposed to be left behind in the aircraft. Passengers are not supposed to carry any items, and even footwear like stilettos should be removed to avoid damaging the inflatable slides.
Following the Delhi incident, IndiGo derostered two pilots and cabin crew members for not following the SOPs on evacuation.