Bomb threat on Indian flight forced to land in Turkiye was false, local governor says

Passengers of the Vistara flight VTI027 from Mumbai to Frankfurt walk along the tarmac as they leave the plane at the Erzurum airport in eastern Turkey on Sept. 6, 2024. (IHA via AP)
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  • Turkish officials said a piece of paper with “bomb on board” written on it was found in a lavatory on the aircraft
  • After a search of the plane by bomb disposal teams, the local governor declared that the bomb threat was false

ANKARA/ISTANBUL: A bomb threat that forced a flight operated by India’s Vistara Airlines to make an emergency landing on Friday around 4:30 p.m. (1330 GMT) in Erzurum in eastern Turkiye was a false threat, the local governor said late on Friday.
Turkish officials had said a piece of paper with “bomb on board” written on it was found in a lavatory on the aircraft, prompting bomb disposal teams to search the plane and evacuate its 234 passengers and 13 crew.
A Vistara spokesperson had said a UK27 flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt diverted due to “a security concern.”
“As of 23:30, we have completed all search and examination operations. As a result of the work we carried out, we found that the bomb threat was unfounded,” Erzurum Governor Mustafa Ciftci told reporters at the airport.

Vistara said on the X media platform that the plane was diverted to Erzurum airport due to security reasons, adding that it had landed safely.

Authorities also shut down the airspace over Erzurum as a precaution, the governor said.

Ciftci also said a precautionary halt to landings and take-offs at the airport was lifted after inspections were completed.
“All flights coming or leaving from our province will now be able to fly comfortably,” he said.
A new aircraft would arrive from Mumbai at 7:25 a.m. local time on Saturday to take the passengers to Frankfurt, he said.