Hyderabad airport on alert after bomb threats target three incoming flights

Authorities at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport were put on alert late Sunday after a series of bomb threat emails targeted three incoming flights, including two arriving from Europe, airport sources said.

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The threats were issued against British Airways flight BA 277 from London Heathrow, Lufthansa’s LH 752 from Frankfurt, and IndiGo flight 6E 7178 coming in from Kannur, said a report by news agency PTI. Despite the alarming messages, all aircraft completed their journeys without incident. The international flights touched down in the early hours of Monday, while the domestic service also landed safely, officials said.

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Following the alerts, airport teams activated their full emergency response procedures. These measures involved moving the aircraft to isolated bays, conducting extensive security checks on passengers and luggage, mobilising fire and rescue units, and deploying dog squads to sweep the aircraft and surrounding areas. The mandatory security drill was carried out for each flight as per protocol, an official said, as per the report.

Nothing suspicious has been found after authorities combed through these planes, and this latest round of bomb threats may be a hoax, reports indicated.

This is the third such scare at the airport in less than a week. In the previous incidents recently, multiple bomb threat emails were received for Emirates’ Dubai-Hyderabad service and IndiGo flights operating from Madina and Sharjah to Hyderabad. The plane that took off from Sharjah was diverted to Mumbai, whereas the Madinah-Hyderabad IndiGo flight made an emergency landing in Ahmedabad.

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Investigations into the source of the latest threat emails are underway, with more details awaited shortly.

(With inputs from PTI)