Bomb Scare on Delhi-Varanasi IndiGo Flight; Passengers Evacuated

A bomb threat was reported on a Delhi-Varanasi IndiGo flight, which was scheduled to take off at 5.35 am on Monday. A total of 176 passengers on the flight were safely evacuated onto the tarmac through emergency exits, while a quick response team reached the site and began a search, said the Delhi Fire Service.

Airport officials said the flight (6E2211) received a specific bomb threat at the Delhi airport following which, as per protocol, the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay. The flight is being inspected by a bomb disposal squad, they said. After all security checks are completed, the aircraft will be positioned back in the terminal area, an airport official said.

A senior CISF official, however, said the bomb threat turned out to be a hoax, but there is no such confirmation on this from the airport authorities yet. An alert went out after the flight crew found a note with the word “bomb” written on it in the aircraft’s lavatory before takeoff, the official said.

“A tissue paper, with the word ‘bomb’ written on it, was found in the lavatory of Indigo flight 6E2211 from Delhi to Varanasi at the Delhi airport, prompting security agencies to conduct an inspection but it turned out to be a hoax,” the official said.