Air India flight was diverted back to Mumbai after a note was found in the aircraft’s toilet
An Air India flight has been ordered to turn back midway through its journey from Mumbai to New York on Monday. This is a second instance in the past two weeks of a flight on the India-US route being diverted due to a security concern.
While flying over Azerbaijan, the Boeing 777 flight bound for John F Kennedy airport in New York was forced to change course and return to its origin in Mumbai, Indian media reported.
The flight, which was carrying 322 people, including 303 passengers and 19 crew members, had been traversing Azerbaijani airspace when the threat alert was received, prompting the aircraft to turn back.
After landing, bomb-detection procedures were conducted, and it was determined that the threat was a hoax, Air India said in a statement, quote by Hindustan Times. The airline said “potential security threat” was detected mid-flight and after following the necessary protocols, the flight air-returned to Mumbai, and landed safely.
A senior police officer from Mumbai’s Zone 8, quoted by Indian Express, confirmed the security threat, describing it as a typical threat note that was found in one of the aircraft’s toilets. The officer stated that further investigation is underway, following standard protocol and procedures.
The aircraft is undergoing mandatory checks by security agencies, and Air India is extending its full cooperation to the authorities, the statement added.
A similar incident occurred in February. An American Airlines flight, originally bound for Delhi from New York, was diverted to Rome, Italy due to a security concern. The airline did not disclose the specific reason for the security threat, but stated that, as per the protocol, it was necessary to inspect the flight before allowing it to continue on to its final destination in Delhi. As a precautionary measure, the American Airlines flight was escorted by two Italian Air Force fighter jets to Rome’s airport, where it made a safe landing and underwent further inspection.
Eye witness accounts as cited by Associated Press stated that passengers were taken to the terminal after landing where they were put through lengthy security screens. Further, personal belongings of all the passengers were being screened, the report said.
In a separate development, another Air India flight travelling from US to India was forced to return to the starting point, Chicago, after 10 hours in the air on Thursday, allegedly due to clogged toilets.
Toilet Turbulence: Air India long-haul flight chaos as 11 of 12 toilets clogged by human waste force plane to return to Chicago, sparking deluge of refunds and fury
The incident was only reported in the media on Monday, after the airlines faced criticism form some of the passengers on social media. In an anonymous Reddit post cited by Hindustan Times, a passenger alleged that eight of the plane’s 12 toilets were blocked, yet the crew chose to take off from Chicago despite being aware of the problem.
