Air India flight gets bomb threat, emergency declared at Thiruvananthapuram airport

A full emergency was declared at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Thursday morning after a bomb threat was reported on an Air India flight from Mumbai, according to airport sources as reported by PTI. The aircraft, carrying 135 passengers, landed safely around 8 am and was directed to an isolation bay.

By 8:44 am, all passengers were safely evacuated from the plane, the sources said.

The pilot had reported the bomb threat at 7:30 am as the flight neared Thiruvananthapuram. In response, the airport declared a full emergency at 7:36 am.

"There has been no loss of life, and airport operations remain unaffected," the sources added.

An Air India Spokesperson told ANI, "A specific security alert was detected on Air India flight AI657 during a cruise from Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram on August 22. Crew carried out all the laid-down security drills keeping passenger safety as top priority. The flight has landed safely in Thiruvananthapuram and has been parked in a remote bay for the mandatory checks by security agencies. All passengers and crew disembarked safely. Air India accords top priority to the safety of its passengers and crew."

Earlier, a statement from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport read, " AI 657 (BOM-TRV) reported a bomb threat at 0730 hours on August 22, 2024. A full emergency was declared at TRV Airport at 0736 hours. The aircraft landed safely. It is now parked at the Isolation Bay, where the evacuation process has begun. There has been no impact on life. Airport operations are currently uninterrupted."