The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata was placed on high alert on Tuesday afternoon after an unidentified caller claimed there was a bomb on board IndiGo flight 6E5227, bound for Mumbai, according to officials.
The call was received after all passengers had checked in. The flight, scheduled to depart at 1.30 pm and arrive in Mumbai at 4.20 pm, was halted and all 195 passengers were safely deboarded as part of emergency procedures. The aircraft was then moved to an isolation bay for inspection.
An airport official said luggage was unloaded from the aircraft and searched thoroughly while the bomb squad boarded the flight for an extensive search.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which looks after the security of airports across India, has also ramped up security at the Kolkata airport after the threat. Efforts are on to trace the sender behind the threat.
This marks the second bomb scare at an Indian airport since the launch of Operation Sindoor by the Indian armed forces earlier this month, targeting terror groups based in Pakistan.
A similar incident occurred on 6 May, when Mumbai airport received a bomb threat regarding an IndiGo flight arriving from Chandigarh. That call was later confirmed to be a hoax.
