PHUKET - An Air India flight from Phuket bound for New Delhi received an onboard bomb threat on Friday morning and made an emergency landing back on the Thai island, airport authorities said.
All 156 passengers were escorted safely from the Airbus A320 jet. No suspicious devices were found and there was no disruption to airport operations, authorities said.
Flight AI 379 left Phuket at 9.05am and was scheduled to arrive at Indira Gandhi airport in Delhi at 12.04pm local time.
Monchai Tanode, director of Phuket International Airport, said the pilot sought clearance to return to Phuket after being alerted to the discovery of a threatening message.
“We received a report of a bomb threat written inside the aircraft’s bathroom, so the pilot informed the control tower and decided to divert the flight to Phuket International Airport after circling to burn off fuel,” he told a press conference.
Despite initial suspicions involving three passengers, police were unable to determine who had written the threatening message. Investigators from the Sakhu police station were continuing to collect forensic evidence, including DNA samples from the note, to identify the perpetrator, Mr Monchai said.
Air India station manager Debasish Choudhury said the note was discovered shortly after the aircraft had reached cruising altitude, when lavatories became accessible.
Cabin crew believe the note may have been placed during the boarding process, when visibility was limited due to crowding in the aisles. No surveillance cameras cover the lavatory area.
Passengers seated near the lavatory and a family involved in a seating dispute were among those questioned. However, no definitive evidence has emerged linking any individual to the threat.
The flight finally took off at 4.28pm, the flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed, more than seven hours after its scheduled departure.
The incident took place one day after an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London crashed shortly after takeoff, killing at least 265 people onboard and on the ground.
Phuket airport staff help escort all 156 passengers safely from the Air India Airbus A320 jet on Friday. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)
