Vistara Airbus A320 Isolated at Srinagar Airport After Bomb Threat

In the recent past, bomb threats have become a huge menace at Indian airports. At least twice a week, you can hear news regarding hoax bomb threats to airports and airlines. The latest victim of this menace is a Vistara Airbus A320, which was isolated at Srinagar Airport soon after landing from Delhi.

Vistara Airbus A320 Receives Bomb Threat

An Airbus A320 belonging to Vistara, registered as VT-TNL was operating flight UK611 from Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) to Srinagar Sheikh Ul-Alum International Airport (SXR). The aircraft departed from Delhi Airport at 10:58 AM and landed at Srinagar Airport at 12:04 PM.

While the aircraft was nearing Srinagar Airport, the Air Traffic Control Office in Srinagar received a call, in which the caller was threatening to bomb the arriving Vistara jet. Looking at the seriousness of the situation, the security agencies at Srinagar Airport were alerted. The airport operations were halted for a brief period.

When I tracked the flight on FlightTadar24, there was an abnormal turn after the aircraft crossed Jalandhar. There is nothing wrong with an Indian aircraft entering Pakistan Airspace, as hundreds of Indian flights use that airspace daily. But usually, the routing of this flight does not include this abnormal turn. The image below shows the usual routine:

The pilots were told about the situation. At 12:04 PM IST, the aircraft landed at Srinagar Airport safely. All 178 passengers were deboarded safe and sound. The Airbus was taken to an isolation bay and thoroughly checked.

Threat Declared Hoax

After a detailed search of the Airbus A320 by security agencies, nothing suspicious was found. Talking to ANI, the airport officials confirmed that the threat had been termed as non-credible and that it was a hoax. Following this, normal operations have resumed at the airport.

Authorities are further investigating the incident. The search for the caller is underway. Srinagar Airport is located near the Pakistan and China border. Hence, such threats are dealt with strict measures.

The aircraft involved in this incident is an Airbus A320neo registered as VT-TNL. This 4.6-year-old A320neo was delivered to Vistara in November 2019. It is one of those Vistara jets, that underwent a seating layout change. In 2021, the seating configuration of this aircraft was changed from three classes to an all-economy configuration.

Repeated Incidents

This incident comes just days after an IndiGo wet-leased aircraft received a hoax bomb threat at Delhi Airport. The aircraft was flying from Delhi to Varanasi. The PIC called for an emergency evacuation. Emergency slides of the Airbus A320ceo were deployed, after which all the passengers were evacuated.

On social media, footage went viral showing the pilots, crew members, and passengers leaving the aircraft with their bags. After reviewing the same, the airline has derostered its crew members for failing to follow the established protocols.

Indian airports and hoax bomb calls are becoming a huge problem. In most of these cases, these threats are either made to delay the flight or a personality stunt to come into the media limelight. There are some cases, in which people with mental disorders make such threats.

Conclusion

A Vistara Airbus A320 received a bomb threat while flying from Delhi to Srinagar. After landing, all the passengers were safely deboarded. Following this, the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay, where it was thoroughly searched. Nothing suspicious was found. Eventually, the threat was declared a hoax.

What do you think about such hoax bomb threats? Discuss in the comment section.