An Air India flight (AI379) from Phuket to New Delhi was forced to turn back mid-air on Friday morning after a bomb threat was reported onboard, just a day after a fatal crash involving another Air India flight deepened public concern over aviation safety.
According to Phuket International Airport, the pilot of the Airbus A320 notified air traffic control at 09:30 local time (03:30 BST) that a bomb threat message had been found on the aircraft.
The flight had taken off from Phuket at 09:15 carrying 156 passengers.
An emergency landing was requested and executed safely. The aircraft landed back at Phuket airport at 11:38 local time, according to data from flight tracking websites.
In a Facebook statement, Phuket airport confirmed it had activated its contingency protocols in response to the bomb threat and that further updates would follow.
The incident comes less than 24 hours after the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, which claimed dozens of lives, including those of crew members, passengers, and residents on the ground after the aircraft struck a residential building during descent.
That crash has prompted nationwide mourning and intensified scrutiny of Air India’s operations.
Authorities in both India and Thailand are now under pressure to reassure the public amid two alarming aviation incidents within days.
Investigations into both the bomb threat and the Ahmedabad crash are currently underway.