Delhi-bound Akasa flight makes emergency landing in Mumbai after passenger claims bomb in bag

In a bizarre incident, a Delhi-bound Akasa aircraft carrying 185 passengers had to make an emergency landing at Mumbai airport on Saturday morning after a passenger claimed that he had a bomb in his bag. 

The Pune to Delhi Akasa Air flight made an emergency landing at around 12:42 a.m. after the passenger said, “I have a bomb in my bag”. The flight was diverted to the Mumbai airport after some 40 minutes following takeoff from the Pune airport. 

The flight finally departed for Delhi airport at around 6 a.m. on Saturday 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 was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

Issuing a statement regarding the incident, the airlines said that Akasa Air flight QP 1148, flying from Pune to Delhi at 12:07 am 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,” the airline said in a statement.

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.

(With agency inputs)