'Bomb on board': Threat note inside IndiGo plane's toilet causes chaos at Pune airport

PUNE: An IndiGo flight which landed in Pune from Delhi was held up at the Pune airport for more than an hour after an alleged bomb threat which later was found to be hoax, on Thursday late evening.

The flight landed in Pune with over 100 passengers at 9.23pm, later than its original arrival at 8.40pm. The flight had taken off from Delhi at 7.20pm instead of its scheduled departure at 6.30pm.


Sources said that a letter was found at one of the washrooms of the airport stating that the flight had a bomb. With Republic Day approaching and security at highest levels at all airports including Pune, the flight, as per the SOPs, was being thoroughly checked by the CISF at the moment.

Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke said in a statement, “IndiGo Flight 6E 2608 operating from Delhi to Pune received bomb threat information upon arrival at Pune Airport January 22. The aircraft, scheduled to arrive at 8.40pm landed at 9.24pm and was parked at Bay No. 3 at 9.27pm. Subsequently, Air Traffic Control (ATC) communicated the bomb threat information to Apron Control. The aircraft was then moved to the isolation bay. Apron Control immediately alerted all concerned agencies, and the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was convened. Following the assessment, the aircraft was thoroughly checked by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS). No suspicious or adverse findings were detected during the security checks. Upon completion of the procedures, the aircraft was cleared and released for normal operations. The situation was handled in a coordinated and timely manner, and no further incident was reported.”

IndiGo in its statement said, “Soon after landing, a security threat was noticed onboard IndiGo flight 6E 2608 operating from Delhi to Pune on January 22 Following the established protocol, we informed the relevant authorities immediately and are fully cooperating with them in following the standard operating procedures.”