New Delhi: An Air India plane carrying 211 people from Delhi to Chicago was diverted to an airport in Canada on Tuesday following a bomb threat, according to officials. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the flight made an emergency landing at Iqaluit, Nunavut, and all the 211 passengers and the crew disembarked. Air India said flight AI127 operating from Delhi to Chicago on October 15 was the subject of a security threat posted online and, as a precautionary measure, has landed at Iqaluit Airport in Canada.
The flight was operated with a Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft. "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 airline said in a statement to PTI. Officials said the flight received a bomb threat.
Around 1240 am (IST) Wednesday, one of the officials said that local agencies are carrying out security checks of the aircraft. Passengers are in a temperature-controlled area at the airport and have been served refreshments and food, the official added. In a post on X at 1230 am (IST), Air India said colleagues at the airport are working to arrange the best alternative flight for the passengers to reach their destination at the earliest. In its statement issued earlier in the day, the RCMP said, "All 211 passengers and crew disembarked the aircraft and were relocated to the Iqaluit International airport."
Air India, in the statement, also said that the carrier as well as other local airlines have been 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," it said. Further, the airline said it 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.
Air India also said it will consider legal action against those responsible to recover damages incurred by the airline. On Tuesday, apart from Air India's Delhi-Chicago flight, six other Indian flights received bomb threat messages through a social media handle. On Monday, an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York was diverted to Delhi after a bomb threat. Following standard security protocols, a thorough inspection was conducted and no suspicious item was found inside the aircraft.
