In three days, 19 flights receive bomb threats; 7 flights impacted on Wednesday
Mumbai/ New Delhi, Oct 16: As many as 19 flights have received bomb threats in three days and a Riyadh-bound IndiGo flight was diverted to Muscat due to the threat, according to officials.
In less than 24 hours, 9 flights received bomb threats and the total count has climbed to at least 19 in three days. The threats have turned out to be hoax.
On Wednesday, bomb threats were received by four IndiGo flights, two SpiceJet flights and one flight of Akasa Air. On Tuesday late night, one flight each of Vistara and Air India Express had received the threats.
IndiGo received bomb threats for three flights, including the Riyadh-Mumbai flight 6E 74 that was diverted to Muscat (Oman). Riyadh is a city in Saudi Arabia.
"The aircraft has been isolated, and all passengers have been safely disembarked," an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
Another flight 6E 1011 from Mumbai to Singapore received a security-related alert and the flight landed at Singapore.
Also, IndiGo's flight 6E 515, operating from Chennai to Lucknow, received a security-related alert. After landing at Lucknow, the aircraft was positioned at an isolated bay and all passengers have been safely disembarked, the airline spokesperson said in a statement.
Meanwhile, late on Tuesday, a Mumbai-bound IndiGo flight from the national capital was diverted to Ahmedabad after a bomb threat.
An Akasa Air flight enroute to Bengaluru returned to Delhi on Wednesday afternoon following a bomb threat.
"Akasa Air flight QP 1335, flying from Delhi to Bengaluru on October 16, 2024, and carrying 174 passengers, 3 infants and 7 crew members on board, received a security alert," an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
A SpiceJet spokesperson said the airline's X handle received a direct message indicating a bomb threat concerning two flights -- one was Leh-Delhi and the other was Darbangha-Mumbai.
"Passengers on both aircraft disembarked safely. After receiving the necessary approvals from the concerned authorities the aircraft were released for further operations," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Vistara flight UK 161 from Delhi to Hong Kong received a security threat through social media on October 15. The flight landed safely at Hong Kong on Wednesday early morning where all mandatory security checks were conducted before the aircraft was cleared to resume operations, an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
On Tuesday night, an Air India Express flight IX 437 from Kochi to Dubai received a bomb threat and the flight later landed safely at Dubai, sources in the know said.
There was no comment from Air India Express on the incident.
As many as nine flights received bomb threat on Tuesday and one of them, Air India's AI 127 flight from Delhi to Chicago, was diverted to an airport in Canada. The stranded passengers at the Iqaluit airport were ferried to Chicago by a Canadian Air Force plane.
On Tuesday, an Air India Express flight IX 684 from Madurai to Singapore had received a bomb threat. Singapore Armed Forces had scrambled two fighter jets to escort the Air India Express plane away from populated areas before it landed safely at Singapore's Changi airport.
Three flights received bomb threats on Monday.
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Rare Kalyani Chalukya-era stepwell discovered in Karnataka’s Gadag district
Gadag: A centuries-old stepwell from the Kalyani Chalukya period is discovered into public in Sudi, a remote village in Karnataka’s Gadag district. The Nagakunda Pushkarani, dating to the 10th-11th century CE, is undergoing extensive restoration under the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage’s ‘Adopt a Monument’ scheme.
The stepwell was focal point of community life and craftsmanship under the reign of Akkadevi, sister of Chalukya king Jayasimha II. It shows the dynasty’s mastery of architecture and water management. Its interior walls are carved with the precision of temple façades, setting it apart from most surviving stepwells in southern India, linking it stylistically to examples in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
After centuries of neglect left its sculptures weathered and its waters dry, the site is now being revived by the Deccan Heritage Foundation India in partnership with Heritage Matters, the Gandipet Welfare Society and the Water Literacy Foundation according to a report published by The HIndu. Work includes structural repairs, removal of invasive vegetation, dredging, stone resetting and landscaping, alongside the restoration of an adjacent mantapa with a large Ganesha idol.
Heritage architect B. Sarath Chandra noted, the project is as much about functionality as aesthetics, with water recharge efforts already underway. Funded by Gandipet Welfare Society founder Rajashree Pinnamenni, the restoration is slated for completion by late 2025, followed by a second phase linking the stepwell to the Jodu Kalasadagudi temple through landscaped pathways.
The report mentions that officials say the revival of Nagakunda Pushkarani could not only reintroduce Sudi’s Chalukya heritage to a wider audience but also serve as a model for conserving other lesser-known monuments across Karnataka.
