Afghanistan authorities on Sunday denied a Frankfurt-bound Vistara plane permission to use its airspace due to a bomb threat, forcing the aircraft to return to Delhi, according to sources.
The flight, UK25, which was en route from Delhi to Frankfurt, was operated by a Boeing 787 and carried over 240 passengers, reports PTI.
Sources revealed that the bomb threat was classified as “non-specific,” and initially, the decision was made to allow the plane to continue its journey. However, Afghanistan’s airspace authorities, upon being informed of the threat, did not grant permission for the aircraft to pass through their airspace. This prompted the flight to turn back and return to the Delhi airport.
The plane, which had departed from Delhi at around 1:10 PM, safely landed back at 4:20 PM, as confirmed by the airline in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). “Flight UK25 from Delhi to Frankfurt (DEL-FRA) is returning to Delhi (DEL) and is expected to arrive in Delhi (DEL) at 1620 hours,” Vistara stated.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24.com showed that the plane circled within Pakistani airspace and briefly entered Afghan airspace before turning around. Typically, flights on this route pass through the airspace of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other countries en route to Germany.
Earlier in the day, Vistara had reported receiving security threats for six of its flights, including UK25, amid a week that saw nearly 100 bomb threats targeting various flights, most of which were later determined to be hoaxes.
While there was no immediate official comment from Vistara on the incident, the swift action taken ensured the safety of passengers and crew, with all appropriate security protocols followed.