Bomb threat to Chennai-Goa IndiGo flight; 176 passengers evacuated

CHENNAI: A bomb threat to an IndiGo flight scheduled to depart from Chennai to Goa on Monday (October 19) triggered a security alert at Chennai airport. All 176 passengers and six crew members were evacuated from the aircraft as bomb disposal experts and security personnel began a thorough search.

The IndiGo flight was scheduled to depart from Chennai domestic airport at 5.40 pm. Passengers had arrived at the airport about an hour before departure and boarded the aircraft after completing the usual security checks.

Chennai airport receives bomb threat ahead of IndiGo flight departure

Just as the flight was preparing for departure, the Chennai airport control room received information claiming that a bomb had been planted on the Goa-bound aircraft and would explode shortly.

Following the threat, the flight was immediately denied permission to take off and was brought back to the parking bay.

Security personnel rushed to the spot with sniffer dogs and evacuated all passengers and crew members from the aircraft.

Bomb squad searches Chennai-Goa flight and passengers' luggage

All baggage, including hand luggage, was unloaded from the aircraft for inspection. Passengers were also checked and moved to a safe area while security teams began examining their belongings one by one.

The search continued for nearly three hours with the help of sniffer dogs. No explosives had been found so far, while 48 pieces of baggage were still being examined.

Bomb detection and disposal squads, security personnel and sniffer dog teams continued their checks at the airport.

The incident caused tension in the departure area of Chennai airport as security officials carried out the inspection.