Panic gripped a Delhi-Vadodara Air India flight at the IGI airport here after a crew member spotted a tissue paper with the word "bomb" written on it in the aircraft's washroom, police said on Thursday, May 16, 2024.
The flight was searched after the note was discovered on May 15 evening but nothing suspicious was found, a police officer said.
He said the aircraft was ready for take-off when the crew member spotted the tissue paper at 7 pm.
The officer said the Central Industrial Security Force and the Delhi Police were informed and passengers were asked to deboard the flight.
The aircraft was checked thoroughly but nothing was found, he said, adding that the passengers later departed for their destination on another aircraft.
Top priority for passengers’ safety: Air India
In a statement, the airline said “following the necessary protocol, and the aircraft was taken to a remote bay for mandatory checks by security agencies.”
“A specific security alert was detected on Air India flight AI819 scheduled to operate from Delhi to Vadodara on 15 May 2024 just before departure. All passengers were safely deboarded.... Our colleagues on ground made sure to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected disruption. Air India is committed to and accords top priority to the safety and security of its passengers and crew. Passengers have been flown to Vadodara in a special flight this morning,” the release said.
