IndiGo flight makes emergency landing in Ahmedabad after bomb threat

An IndiGo Airlines flight from Kuwait to Delhi made an emergency landing in Ahmedabad on Friday after a bomb threatThe emergency landing in Ahmedabad triggered heightened security measures at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport officials saidAs reported by news agency IANS the aircraft carrying 186 people including 180 passengers was in the air when a handwritten threat was discovered on a tissue paperThe note found inside the aircraft referred to a hijacking and a bomb prompting immediate action by the flight crew Soon after the incident the authorities followed standard aviation safety protocolPilot diverted the aircraft to the nearest airportThe pilot alerted Air Traffic Control and decided to divert the aircraft to the nearest suitable airport Ahmedabad However the flight landed safely at the Ahmedabad airport where security agencies were placed on alert ahead of its arrivalFollowing the safe landing at Ahmedabad airport all passengers were evacuated from the aircraft in a controlled manner and moved to a secure area of the airport Also there were no reports of injuries or medical emergencies during the processAirport Police Station Inspector N D Nakum while briefing about the incident stated ldquoSecurity agencies responded swiftly after the threat was reported After the threat was received all security agencies concerned were alerted The Bomb Disposal Squad carried out a thorough check of the aircraftrdquoThe official further added ldquoNo suspicious or objectionable item has been found so far The checking process of the aircraft has been completed and further investigation is continuing as per protocol as per IANSBomb squad and CISF teams conducted a detailed antisabotage checkThe Bomb Disposal Squad CISF teams dog squads and airport security teams conducted a detailed antisabotage check of the aircraftFollowing the protocol all passenger baggage was screened and passengers were subjected to individual security checks in accordance with standard operating procedures as per IANSA strong police presence was maintained across the airport during the operation Airport sources said flight operations continued with minor temporary adjustments while security checks were underway There was no immediate confirmation on when the diverted aircraft would resume its onward journey to DelhiAlso the authorities are examining the origin and nature of the handwritten threat note and are working to establish how it was placed inside the aircraft Officials also added that appropriate action would be taken based on the findings of the investigationThe incident comes amid a series of recent bomb threats reported in Ahmedabad Over the past few days the cityrsquos airport courts and several schools have received threat messages all of which were later found to be nonspecific or hoaxes after extensive checksWith inputs from IANS