IndiGo Flight Emergency Hoax: The Bomb Threat That Wasn't

An IndiGo flight made an emergency landing after a bomb threat, which turned out to be a hoax. The incident led to the detention of a passenger and a detailed security check at the Raipur airport. The flight continued to Kolkata post-clearance.

A bomb threat on an IndiGo flight from Nagpur to Kolkata prompted an emergency landing at Raipur's Swami Vivekananda Airport on Thursday morning. The threat, however, was later confirmed to be a hoax, officials have reported.

The aircraft, carrying 187 passengers and six crew members, landed around 9 am. A passenger had informed the crew mid-flight about a possible bomb on board, leading to immediate diversion to Raipur after alerting Air Traffic Control. Upon landing, the plane was directed to an isolation bay for thorough security checks by a police team and bomb squad, according to Raipur Senior Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh.

As the checking proceeded, all passengers were evacuated from the aircraft, and a comprehensive inspection of the plane and personal luggage was conducted. With no explosives found, the threat was deemed a hoax, and the passenger responsible was detained for questioning. The flight was cleared to proceed to Kolkata and departed around 12 noon.

(With inputs from agencies.)