Bomb Threats Disrupt Indian Airlines: Two False Alarms in One Week

Two bomb threats on Indian flights, including Air India and Indian Airlines bound for New Delhi from Kathmandu, prompted extensive searches by Nepalese authorities but were confirmed hoaxes. The incidents follow a similar false alarm on a Vistara Airways flight last week. Passengers remain anxious.

In an alarming series of events, Indian Airlines flights bound for New Delhi from Kathmandu were subjected to bomb threats, officials from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal reported. The threats prompted a thorough search by law enforcement agencies at the Kathmandu airport, which delayed the flight's scheduled departure.

Dambar Bahadur BK, Chief of Police at the airport, confirmed the ongoing search operation involving the Nepal Police and the Army. He detailed how an Air India flight, AI 216, also faced a similar threat earlier in the week, marking the second such incident at Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport within days.

Though the bomb scare led to rigorous checks by the Nepal Army bomb squad and the Police Canine division, authorities determined the warning was a hoax after a four-hour search. A Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson assured passengers of their safety, emphasizing that no dangerous objects were found during security checks. Passengers have been alarmed as this was the third such incident in recent weeks, raising concerns about potential impacts on air travel security.

(With inputs from agencies.)