Asger Risom
Just a day after one of the deadliest crashes in India’s aviation history, another Air India flight triggered alarm—this time due to a bomb threat mid-flight. No explosives were found, but questions around safety are mounting.
Bomb threats in commercial aviation are uncommon but deeply disruptive—especially when they follow on the heels of a national tragedy.
Less than 24 hours after the crash of Air India flight 171 claimed at least 279 lives in Ahmedabad, the airline faced another emergency, this time over Thailand.
Threat Mid-Flight Forces Emergency Landing
On Friday morning, Air India flight AI 379, carrying 156 passengers and eight crew members from Phuket to New Delhi, was forced to turn back after the pilot reported a bomb threat discovered onboard.
The threat, found written in one of the aircraft’s lavatories, triggered immediate emergency protocols.
The plane landed safely at Phuket airport at 9:30 a.m. local time. Authorities evacuated passengers to a secure area while the aircraft and luggage were thoroughly inspected.
No explosives or suspicious items were found, and no injuries were reported.
A Tense Week for Air India
The timing of the incident has added to the strain surrounding Air India.
The airline is already under intense scrutiny following the June 12 crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad—one of India’s worst aviation disasters on record. That flight, bound for London, crashed one minute after takeoff, with only one survivor among 242 people onboard.
While the bomb threat in Thailand ended without harm, it has reinforced concerns over the airline’s recent string of emergencies.
Though unrelated in cause, the back-to-back crises have unsettled both passengers and regulators, who are now closely watching the carrier’s safety and crisis response.
The Thai airport has since ended its emergency measures, and passengers were flown onward to India aboard a replacement aircraft, as reported by 20minutos. Investigations into the origin of the bomb threat are ongoing.