Air India Express flight gets bomb threat, lands safely in Varanasi

An Air India Express flight, carrying over 170 passengers, from the city to Varanasi received a bomb threat on Wednesday, sources said.

The airline said the plane landed safely at the Varanasi airport.

"One of our flights to Varanasi received a security threat. In line with protocol, the Government-appointed Bomb Threat Assessment Committee was immediately alerted, and all necessary security procedures promptly initiated. The flight landed safely and all guests have been disembarked.

"The aircraft will be released for operations once all mandated security checks are completed," an Air India Express spokesperson said in a statement.

The airline did not disclose the number of passengers who were onboard and aircraft details.

The sources said the plane had more than 170 passengers.

As per information available on the flight tracking website, Air India Express flight IX1023 from Mumbai landed at the Varanasi airport at around 4 pm on Wednesday.