Amid chaos over massive flight disruptions, a second Hyderabad-bound flight of IndiGo from the Middle East was diverted to Mumbai over a bomb threat. As per reports, the flight, which took off from Sharjah, was diverted to Mumbai following a bomb scare.
The plane, which took off from Sharjah, was diverted mid-air and made to land in Mumbai following the bomb threat, Hindustan Times reported. Earlier in the day, another Hyderabad-bound IndiGo flight from Madinah made an emergency landing in Ahmedabad airport after the airline received an email warning the aircraft would be bombed if it was allowed to land in Hyderabad. There were 180 passengers onboard.
"Atul Kumar Bansal, Deputy Police Commissioner, Ahmedabad City, said, "Today, an Indigo flight from Medina to Hyderabad made an emergency landing at Ahmedabad airport. This was because a threatening email about the flight was received at Hyderabad airport. All investigative agencies are investigating. Hyderabad police are investigating it. No suspicious activity by any passenger has been reported yet," ANI reported.
The diversions owing to bomb threats come amid massive flight cancellations by IndiGo. In a statement on Wednesday, the airline said "multitude of unforeseen operational challenges" led to cancellations of services.
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"To contain the disruption and restore stability, we have initiated calibrated adjustments to our schedules. These measures will remain in place for the next 48 hours and will allow us to normalize our operations and progressively recover our punctuality across the network," it said. IndiGo said affected customers are being offered alternate travel arrangements to reach their destinations or refunds, as applicable.
Two major pilots' bodies blamed the airline’s "unorthodox lean manpower strategy" and "hiring freeze" for the massive flight disruptions. Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reportedly summoned IndiGo officials to explain the widespread cancellations.