Passenger claims bomb in bag; Pune-Delhi flight makes emergency landing

A Delhi-bound Akasa flight carrying 185 passengers from Pune made an emergency landing at the Mumbai Airport after a passenger claimed that he had a bomb in his bag, officials said on Saturday.

The flight, which was diverted to the Mumbai airport, landed in the early hours of today after some 40 minutes following takeoff from the Pune airport, the airlines said in a statement today.

The flight finally departed for its original destination around 6 am today after the bomb claim turned out to be a hoax.

"At around 2.30 am today a CISF officer informed the Mumbai Police Control, after which the luggage of the passenger of that flight was searched in the presence of Bomb Detection and Disposable Squad (BDDS) team, as well as police officers. But during an investigation the police did not find any suspicious object," a police officer said.

The passenger who claimed there was a bomb in his bag was taken to the hospital in an ambulance after the plane landed at the Mumbai airport as he complained of chest pain.

According to police a relative accompanying the passenger on the flight told police that he had taken medicine due to chest pain.

In a statement, Akasa Airlines confirmed the incident.

"Akasa Air flight QP 1148, flying from Pune to Delhi at 00:07 hrs on October 21, 2023, and carrying 185 passengers and six crew members on board, received a security alert shortly after take-off. As per safety and security procedures, the plane was diverted to Mumbai. The Captain followed all required emergency procedures and landed safely at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 00:42 hrs," Akasa Airlines said.

After receiving police clearance, the flight left for Delhi from Mumbai airport around 6 am.

Mumbai Police is further investigating the matter.