A Varanasi-bound Indigo flight was evacuated following a bomb threat on Tuesday morning. The aircraft was immediately evacuated before being moved to an isolation bay where a search is underway.
The Delhi Fire Service said in a statement that the threat was reported around 5:35 am on Tuesday, "The Quick Response Teams (QRT) arrived at the spot".
All passengers are safe, the Delhi Airport Authorities confirmed. "The flight is undergoing a detailed inspection. All passengers were evacuated through the emergency exits without incident," the airport spokesperson said.
Aviation security and a bomb disposal team rushed to the site and anti-sabotage checks revealed nothing suspicious.
Footage of the evacuation showed passengers being escorted out of the aircraft via an emergency exit following the bomb threat.
According to a senior CISF official, a tissue paper, with the word "bomb blast @ 30 minutes" written on it, was found in the lavatory of Indigo flight 6E2211 from Delhi to Varanasi at Delhi airport. "This prompted security agencies to conduct an inspection," the official said.
There were a total of 176 passengers on the flight who were deboarded, sources said.