Bomb Threat Diverts Air India Flight, Resumes Journey

An Air India flight to New York, initially diverted back to Mumbai due to a bomb threat, safely resumed its journey with 303 passengers. After a thorough security check, no threats were found. The incident added to a rising number of hoax bomb threats affecting flights globally.

An Air India flight en route to New York was forced to return to Mumbai due to a bomb threat, an official confirmed. The Boeing 777-300 ER, carrying 303 passengers, departed again on Tuesday morning after security clearance and a swap of operating crew due to Flight Duty Time Limitation concerns.

Officials reported the aircraft was nearly nine hours into its journey on Monday when a passenger discovered a note claiming a bomb was on board. This prompted a thorough security sweep upon the flight's return to Mumbai, but no suspicious items were found, and the flight was subsequently rescheduled.

An FIR has been registered against an unknown individual responsible for the hoax. The incident highlights a worrying trend, with the civil aviation ministry reporting 15 such hoax bomb threats to flights this year alone, contributing to a total of 833 since 2020.

(With inputs from agencies.)