Bomb Threat on Vistara Flight from Paris Triggers Emergency at Mumbai Airport
A full emergency was declared at Mumbai airport on Sunday after a bomb threat was discovered on a Vistara flight from Paris to Mumbai. The incident took place on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft carrying more than 300 people. Vistara fully cooperated with security agencies upon landing to facilitate the investigation. This is the latest in a series of bomb threats in India in recent days, prompting emergency protocols at multiple airports.
Bomb Threat on Air Sickness Bag
The bomb threat was found on an air sickness bag during Vistara flight UK 24 from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) on June 2. The flight had 294 passengers and 12 crew members on board. It departed Paris at 21:30 and landed in Mumbai at around 10:00 the next morning.
Vistara issued a statement confirming the security concern and their immediate action to inform the relevant authorities. The airline emphasized that the safety and security of its customers, crew, and aircraft are of paramount importance.
Recent Bomb Threats in India
The Vistara incident is one of several bomb threats reported in India recently. Last week, an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Varanasi was evacuated after a bomb threat note was found in its lavatory. The note claimed, "bomb@5:30," prompting an immediate evacuation. Some passengers and crew members ignored safety protocols by carrying hand luggage down the evacuation slides.
In another incident, an IndiGo flight from Chennai to Mumbai received a bomb threat, leading to an emergency situation at Mumbai airport. The aircraft was taken to an isolation bay and safely evacuated. Similarly, an IndiGo flight from Varanasi to Delhi faced a bomb threat, and passengers were evacuated upon landing in Delhi.
These increasing incidents are causing significant concern and disruption.
Vistara’s Europe Network
The Vistara Paris-Mumbai flight involved in the bomb threat is part of the airline’s extensive European network, which includes scheduled flights to Frankfurt and Paris from Mumbai, and to Paris, Frankfurt, and London from Delhi. Vistara is currently in the process of merging with another Tata Group airline, Air India, with both airlines working on regulatory approvals and integrating their staff and processes.