In a mid-air scare on Friday morning, an Air India flight bound for New Delhi from Phuket was forced to make an emergency landing after receiving a bomb threat onboard, according to Thai airport officials. The flight, designated AI 379, had just taken off from Phuket International Airport at 9:30 AM local time carrying 156 passengers.
The flight, an Airbus A320-251N, was carrying 156 passengers, all of whom were deboarded after the emergency landing.
Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft abruptly turned around over the Andaman Sea and headed back to the island, as seen on flight tracking data from Flightradar24.
Authorities at Airports of Thailand (AOT) confirmed that the bomb threat was reported while the plane was in the air. In line with established emergency protocols, passengers were swiftly evacuated upon landing. Visuals from the scene showed security personnel escorting travellers off the aircraft with caution and urgency.
While officials have not disclosed specific details about the nature or origin of the threat, the situation was treated with the highest level of precaution. No injuries have been reported so far, and all passengers are safe.
The incident comes just a day after the devastating Air India Boeing Dreamliner plane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed at least 265 lives.
