Hoax bomb scare delays IndiGo airlines flight

An Indigo airlines Airbus A320-232 registration VT-INA performing flight 6E-203 from New Delhi IGI airport to Kolkata NSCB airport with 123 passengers and 6 crew was delayed due to an anonymous phone call threatening that a bomb has been placed on the flight.

The call was made to Indigo’s call centre at around 16:00 local (11:30Z) scheduled to depart at 16:30 IST.

All passengers were de-planed normally by stairs and the luggage was taken to a remote bay for checking by the airport bomb disposal squad, but nothing suspicious was found.

All Indian airports are under heightened security procedures ahead of India’s independence day on August 15th. The original scheduled departure of the flight was 15:30GMT but was rescheduled since the airport was closed for about two hours as for rehearsals of the Independence Day celebrations.

The aircraft departed with a delay of 2.5 hours at 19:00.

The airline issued a statement

IndiGo flight 6E203 from Delhi – Kolkata, was delayed due to security reasons. The concerned authorities have declared the situation as a ‘non specific bomb threat’. Owing to the Independence Day weekend, bomb detection and disposal squads have carried out all mandatory security checks. The passengers are currently boarding the aircraft and the flight is expected to depart in next few minutes.

Aditya Ghosh, President, IndiGo has confirmed that all 123 passengers on the flight are safe. IndiGo is committed to provide the highest levels of safety and security for its passengers at all times.

Most likely this appears to be the prank of some person(s) who were late for their flight. I am sure they will caught in due course, and one can only hope the authorities throw the book at these moron(s).

About Devesh Agarwal

A electronics and automotive product management, marketing and branding expert, he was awarded a silver medal at the Lockheed Martin innovation competition 2010. He is ranked 6th on Mashable's list of aviation pros on Twitter and in addition to Bangalore Aviation, he has contributed to leading publications like Aviation Week, Conde Nast Traveller India, The Economic Times, and The Mint (a Wall Street Journal content partner). He remains a frequent flier and shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Indian aviation industry without fear or favour.

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