Air India flight from UK diverted to Saudi Arabia due to bomb threat

An Air India flight from the UK was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Sunday due to a bomb threat.

The plane landed safely in Riyadh, the embattled airline said, and underwent security checks.

“Flight AI114 from Birmingham to New Delhi on June 21 received a bomb threat and was consequently diverted to Riyadh, where it landed safely and completed security checks,” a spokesperson said. “The inconvenience caused to our passengers due to this unforeseen disruption is sincerely regretted. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destinations.”

Air India has been under increasing pressure since one of its Boeing Dreamliner planes crashed shortly after takeoff in the western city of Ahmedabad on 12 June and killed at least 270 people, including all but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board.

India’s aviation regular DGCA has ordered enhanced inspections of the airline’s Boeing 787 and 777 fleets, leading it to temporarily cancel or reduce dozens of international flights.

In the wake of the incident, Air India has also cut its international wide-body operations by 15 per cent to accommodate intensified safety inspections.

Hoax bomb threats have grown increasingly common in India, severely disrupting air travel over the past year. Between January and November 2024, nearly 1,000 such threats were reported, marking a tenfold increase from the year before, deputy civil aviation minister Murlidhar Mohol told the parliament late last year.

In October alone, over 500 threats were received within two weeks, with a particularly chaotic day seeing as many as 32 flight disruptions.

Recent examples include an IndiGo flight from Kochi to Delhi, carrying 157 passengers, that was diverted to Nagpur on 18 June after a hoax email and an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi that returned mid-flight on 13 June due to a false bomb note found in the lavatory. AI 379 departed with 156 passengers for Phuket at 9.30am local time, only to make a loop over the Andaman Sea and return, according to Flightradar24.

Meanwhile, investigators from the UK, the US, Boeing, and General Electric have joined the ongoing investigation into the Ahmedabad crash. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had just taken off for London Gatwick when it crashed.

The plane had one engine replaced in March this year while the other had undergone servicing in 2023 and wasn’t due for maintenance until December, according to Air India chairperson N Chandrasekaran.

Earlier, it was reported that the airplane’s black box, which sustained significant damage in the crash, would be sent to the United States for analysis.

To add to the Indian airline’s growing string of crises, up to 11 passengers and crew reportedly fell ill from suspected food poisoning aboard a flight from London to Mumbai on Monday.

Passengers on the nine-hour Boeing 777 flight described feeling dizzy and nauseous during different phases of their trip.

Air India confirmed that five passengers and two crew members had been affected and received medical attention upon landing in Mumbai.

“Our medical experts were prepared to offer prompt medical aid after the airplane safely touched down in Mumbai,” it said, according to The Economic Times.

“Two passengers and two cabin staff members who were still feeling ill after landing were brought to the hospital room for additional testing before being released. We have informed the regulator and are looking into the incident.”

The Independent has reached out to Air India for comment.