Air India's Delhi-Chicago Flight Diverted To Canada After Getting Bomb Threat, 2nd Incident In A Day

An Air India flight, AI 127, en route from New Delhi to Chicago, was forced to divert to Canada’s Iqaluit International Airport after receiving a bomb threat on Tuesday. The threat was sent via social media to the air carrier.

This is the second bomb threat reported today which brings the total to five such incidents involving flights in the past two days. According to a statement from Air India Express, several operators have been targeted by threats from an unverified social media account.

Authorities are investigating the source of the threats. All passengers on the diverted flight are safe.

Earlier in the day, an Air India Express flight from Ayodhya to Bengaluru was delayed after a bomb threat. The plane had 132 passengers on board and was coming from Jaipur. It was scheduled to go to Bengaluru after a brief halt in Ayodhya, officials said.

Ayodhya airport director Vinod Kumar said the plane came from Jaipur, confirming the emergency situation at the airport. Air India Express officials said the situation arose following a threat from an unverified social media account.

“Flight Al127 operating from Delhi to Chicago on October 15, 2024, was the subject of a security threat posted online and, as a precautionary measure, has landed at Iqaluit Airport in Canada. The aircraft and passengers are being re-screened as per the laid down security protocol. Air India has activated agencies at the airport to assist the passengers until such time that their journey can resume,” the operator said in a statement issued shortly after the diversion was reported.

In its statement, Air India, highlighted that it along with local airlines were ‘subject to a number of threats in recent days’.

“Though all have subsequently been found to be hoaxes, as a responsible airline operator all threats are taken seriously. The inconvenience to customers is sincerely regretted. Air India is extending all cooperation to authorities in identifying the perpetrators of such threats to ensure that they are held accountable for the disruption and inconvenience caused to passengers, and will consider legal action against those responsible to recover damages incurred by the airline,” it further added.