Air India Plane Forced to Land in Phuket After Bomb Threat
An Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi was forced into an emergency landing after a bomb threat mid-air forced it to circle back to Phuket.
Air India flight AI 379 took off from Phuket at 9:30 a.m. Friday bound for New Delhi. Mid-flight, the crew received a bomb threat. The plane circled the Andaman Sea before returning for an immediate landing in Phuket.
Passengers evacuated safely
All 156 passengers and crew disembarked safely. Phuket airport staff followed strict bomb-threat procedures under their Emergency Contingency Plan.
Rising threats raise alarms
This incident adds to a wave of alarming threats targeting Indian flights. Nearly 1,000 hoax threats were reported in the first 10 months of last year—around ten times higher than in 2023.
Coinciding with Ahmedabad tragedy
The bomb scare occurred just a day after a devastating Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed over 241 people, highlighting a challenging period for the airline.
Investigation underway
Airport authorities in Phuket are now conducting a full sweep of the aircraft and reviewing the threat’s validity. Air India has not yet responded publicly.