Air India flight AI147, en route from Ahmedabad, India, to London’s Gatwick Airport, put Karachi air traffic control on high alert after a bomb threat was discovered on board.
The aircraft’s captain alerted Pakistani authorities that the situation on board was under control and decided to continue the voyage without diverting. The jet entered Pakistani airspace at Tharparkar and flew over Nawabshah and Kalat before entering Afghanistan.
According to sources, the Air India flight remained in Pakistani airspace for around an hour and 35 minutes, traversing roughly 700 nautical miles. Complications forced the plane to enter a holding pattern before it continued its course briefly, but it did not need to make an emergency landing.
The airplane followed standard protocols, notifying the next air traffic control zone about the security threat, and continued to its destination. “The captain decided to handle the situation, reporting calm inside the cabin,” according to sources.
In the event of a bomb threat, international rules require planes to park at least one kilometer away from other airport facilities in an isolated bay for security.
More than 90 fake bomb threats targeted Indian airline flights this week, Indian media reported Sunday, causing widespread panic, delays, and financial strain for passengers.
Someone made at least 30 threats on Saturday, followed by 20 more on Sunday. While all flights landed safely, the recent threats forced some planes to divert to Canada and Germany, and authorities scrambled fighter jets to escort flights over Britain and Singapore.
The civil aviation authorities in New Delhi have not revealed how many threats they have received in the last week. Still, the Times of India and broadcaster News18 have reported more than 70 hoaxes threatening local and international planes since October 13.