Air India Flight Makes Emergency Landing In Thailand After Bomb Threat

A Delhi-bound Air India flight from Phuket in Thailand made an emergency landing after receiving a bomb threat on Friday, reported Reuters. An Airports of Thailand official told Reuters that all 156 passengers were escorted from the plane according to the emergency protocols. 

The flight, AI 379 took off from the Phuket airport at 9:30 AM local time and took a wide loop around the Andaman sea before landing back on the southern Thai island. The route was tracked and confirmed by flight tracker Flightradar24. 

No other information about the bomb threat was released. Air India did not respond to any media queries in the matter, Reuters reported. 

Local Thai authorities are investigating the threat. Indian airlines facing hoax bomb threats is not a new phenomenon. Indian airlines and airports received around 1000 bomb threats via text and calls in the first 10 months of 2024 alone, around 10 times that of 2023. 

The incident comes a day after the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew members. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national. The sole survivor of the crash is a British national of Indian origin and is being treated in a hospital. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a press conference after the accident stating, "There was around 1.25 lakh litres of fuel on the aircraft. The temperature was also very high. Because of which there was no chance to save anyone.” 

“This aircraft had a total of 230 passengers—both domestic and international—and 12 crew members on board. Among them, we have received the positive news that one passenger has survived. I have met him,” he added.