New Delhi: Three international flights operated by Vistara airline received bomb threats that were later confirmed to be hoaxes. However, one of the aircraft was diverted to Frankfurt as a precautionary measure, officials reported on Saturday.

A spokesperson for Vistara stated that the flights, which were departing from Delhi, received security threats via social media on Friday. Following protocol, all relevant authorities were quickly informed.

The flights to London, Paris, and Hong Kong all reported bomb threats, but these threats were eventually deemed false. "Vistara flight UK17 operating from Delhi to London was diverted to Frankfurt as a precautionary measure. The aircraft landed at Frankfurt Airport safely and we fully cooperated with the authorities to complete the necessary checks following which, the flight was cleared to conclude the journey," the spokesperson said. The flight to London landed safely around 11:40 pm local time on Friday.

The Vistara flight UK21 from Delhi to Paris also landed safely at Charles de Gaulle Airport, where it was taken to an isolation area for mandatory security checks before being cleared to continue operations. Flight UK161, operating from Delhi to Hong Kong, landed safely at Hong Kong International Airport, following all necessary security procedures.

In a related incident, Akasa Air reported that its flight QP 1366 from Bengaluru to Mumbai received a security alert shortly before departure on Friday. "Hence as per safety and security procedures, all passengers had to be deplaned as the local authorities followed necessary procedures. We request your understanding as our team on ground did everything possible to reduce inconvenience," the airline said in a post on X.

An Air India Express flight travelling from Dubai to Jaipur made an emergency landing at Jaipur Airport early Saturday morning due to a bomb threat, which was later confirmed as a hoax. Authorities declared an emergency at the airport, and the flight, carrying 189 passengers, landed safely at 1:20 am. A thorough check of the aircraft found nothing suspicious.

Over the past few days, more than 40 flights operated by Indian airlines have reported bomb threats that turned out to be false alarms. In response, the Civil Aviation Ministry is planning to implement stricter regulations to prevent hoax bomb threats, including adding offenders to a no-fly list.

Agency