New Delhi: A Turkish Airlines aircraft made an emergency landing at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here following a bomb scare. However, no explosives were found onboard after a thorough search.
An official said that flight TK0065 was on its way from Bangkok to Istanbul with 134 passengers on board when someone saw a bomb threat written on a windowpane of the bathroom.
“Turkish Airlines flight TK0065 from Bangkok to Istanbul (an A-330 aircraft, carrying 134 passengers) has been diverted to Delhi following a possible bomb threat on board,” Ali Gence, senior vice president, media relations, Turkish Airlines, said in a statement.
“The plane has already successfully landed in Delhi and all our passengers and cabin crew have been evacuated safely and taken to the terminal building,” he said.
Gence further said necessary safety checks were taking place.
“Furthermore, precautions have been taken for towing the aircraft in line with standard safety procedures. This is currently in progress. After completing all necessary safety checks, the plane will continue its journey to Bangkok,” Gence said.
Airport sources earlier told IANS that there were 148 passengers on the flight.
“The crew saw a message about ‘bomb in cargo hold’ written on a bathroom mirror. The pilot contacted the Nagpur Air Traffic Control, who guided them to the Delhi ATC,” airport sources said.
Sources said the plane made the emergency landing at around 1.40 p.m. at IGI soon after directions from the Delhi ATC.
“The flight was made to land at an isolation parking. All passengers were evacuated safely from the flight and emergency declared at the airport,” a police official said.
All security agencies, including the National Security Guards (NSG) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were placed on high alert.
A bomb disposal squad scanned the plane along with a dog squad. Senior officials of CISF and NSG officials held a meeting after the bomb scare.
(IANS)
