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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Ramdas Athawale backs Fadnavis as Maharashtra CM; says Shinde can shift to Centre
New Delhi, Nov 26: RPI(A) leader Ramdas Athawale, a key BJP ally, on Tuesday called for a quick decision on the next chief minister of Maharashtra and suggested that incumbent Eknath Shinde should shift to the Centre as a Union minister.
Addressing a press conference here, Athawale also backed senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as the next chief minister of Maharashtra, contending that the saffron party won the maximum number of seats in the 288-member Assembly and should have the right to the top executive post in the state.
He said a peculiar situation has arisen in Maharashtra where BJP leaders want Fadnavis as the chief minister, while Shiv Sena leaders want Shinde to continue in the post, citing the good work he has done over the last two and a half years.
Athawale, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, said NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has declared that he was not in the race for the chief minister.
"We need to resolve this matter, without any further delay. The election results were announced on November 23 and we should have had the oath of the new chief minister on November 26, the Constitution Day," Athawale said.
Backing Fadnavis for the post of chief minister, Athawale said Shinde can become the deputy chief minister or shift to the Centre and join the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Athawale said his RPI(A) has a presence in every part of the state, but unfortunately lost the two seats -- Dharavi and Kalina -- offered to it in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections.
He demanded that an RPI member be made an MLC and a minister in the state government.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections winning 235 seats in the 288-member House. The BJP won 132 seats, followed by Shinde-led Shiv Sena (57) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP (41). Smaller parties, who are part of the alliance, won five seats.
