An Air India Kochi-London flight received a bomb threat today, June 25, after which an extensive checking of the aircraft was carried out by the authorities. However, the threat turned out to be a hoax and a 29 year-old man has been apprehended for allegedly making the threatening call.
After the security personnel conducted extensive checks on the aircraft and found no danger, they allowed the flight to proceed as planned, according to a statement from a Cochin International Airport spokesperson.
The spokesperson said that the Air India call center in Mumbai received the threat call early on Tuesday regarding flight AI 149, scheduled to fly from Kochi to London Gatwick. The alert was promptly communicated to Air India and the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) at 1:22 am.
Who was behind the threat call?
As per investigations, the threat call was made by Suhaib, a 29-year-old who hails from Kondotty in Malappuram district. It was further revealed that he was also supposed to travel on the scheduled AI 149 flight. During the check-in process, the accused along with his spouse and daughter were detained by the ASG at the international departure terminal. The airport spokesperson said, ‘’He has been handed over to the police for legal action and further inquiry’’.
The bomb threat alert was immediately informed to Cochin International Airport (CIAL) after which a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was quickly deployed by the CIAL.
The inline baggage screening systems, airline security personnel, and Airport Security (ASG-CISF) conducted the security checks. After assessing the threat, the aircraft was shifted to an isolated parking area for further inquiry.
Thorough checks were conducted on the aircraft by the security personnel. After getting a green signal from the bomb squad as no suspicious substance was found, the airline was allowed to fly as per plan, Cochin International Airport spokesperson stated. All the check-in procedures for the flight were completed by 10:30 AM and the flight departed for London Gatwick at 1:25 PM.
(With PTI inputs)