An Air Arabia flight was made the target of a hoax bomb threat when the flight was scheduled to leave for Sharjah from the Calicut International Airport on Saturday morning. The hoax threat led to the aircraft being grounded while the bomb detection squad of the police inspected it, airport sources said, ANI reported.
A senior airport official reported that a passenger arriving from Sharjah to Calicut had left a note with the word ‘bomb’ on one of the seats. This note was discovered by ground staff before boarding commenced.
The police were immediately notified, and the aircraft was grounded while the bomb detection squad conducted a thorough inspection of the plane, the official added.
“It was later found that the note was a hoax bomb threat. The inspection and security drills have just been concluded. We are awaiting a report from the bomb detection squad before the flight is cleared for take off,” the official reportedly said around 11 am.
It was also notified that the flight scheduled to depart around 8.30 am, is rescheduled to leave at around 5 pm.
“The passengers have been accommodated at the airport and have been provided food and water,” the official added.
Meanwhile, police stated that the passenger who left the note on the aircraft has not yet been identified, and efforts are ongoing to determine the individual responsible for the hoax threat.
According to an officer from Karipur police station, further steps will be taken accordingly after the person who left the hoax threat is identified.