Earlier this week, an IndiGo flight operating between Chennai and Mumbai received a bomb threat around 40km from landing.

Incident: IndiGo Flight Chennai-Mumbai Suffers Bomb Threat…

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IndiGo flight 6E5188 is a routine scheduled flight between Chennai and Mumbai, with the affected rotation involved in the bomb threat being VT-ILN.

As per data from Planespotters.net, VT-ILN is a 3.0 year old Airbus A321neo that was delivered to the Indian carrier back in February 2021.

Of the A321neo variant, the airline has 94 of them, of which 79 are in active service and 15 are currently parked, offering an average age of 2.4 years.

IndiGo flight 6E5188 departed Chennai at 0649 local time on February 13 and proceeded in the direction of Mumbai.

Everything in the flight was normal for the majority of the route, until the Airbus A321neo got around 40km from it’s destination.

As per reporting from Aviation A2Z, it is understood that someone alerted the pilots onboard the aircraft about a bomb threat message discovered in one of the aircraft lavatories.

From there, the aircraft was given priority landing into Mumbai, with the Chennai-originating flight being met by bomb disposal teams on arrival.

IndiGo said the following on the incident:

“All necessary protocols were followed, and the aircraft was taken to a remote bay following the guidelines set by airport security agencies.”

“After completing all security checks, the aircraft [was] brought back to the terminal area.”

All eyes will be on whether they will be able to catch the culprit or not following this incident.

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An IndiGo Airbus A320 operating from Gorakhpur to Mumbai, India diverted to Lucknow after experiencing engine problems en route on 12 July 2024.

Indigo flight 6E5194, an Airbus A320-200 operating from Gorakhpur Airport (GOP) was en route to Mumbai in cruising flight when the incident occurred.

IndiGo 6E5194 Gorakhpur-Mumbai

Flight crew reported a problem with one engine, shutting it down in flight. A drift down descent procedure was then initiated.

Having established the aircraft at a lower cruising altitude, flight crew then initiated a diversion north to Lucknow.

The flight landed at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (LKO) without further incident, approximately 45 minutes later.

A replacement A320 aircraft was mustered to complete the service to Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM).

Flight Details

Flight data shows that flight 6E5194 made a delayed departure out of Gorakhpur (GOP) on 12 July.

Actual time of departure for the flight was logged as 1850 local time, against the scheduled departure time of 1755.

The flight then set course normally, climbing to flight level FL340 (34,000 feet) for the south-westerly route to Mumbai.

Having shut and engine down in flight, flight crew initiated a drift down procedure to flight level FL220.

The aircraft then diverted north to Lucknow at the reduced cruising altitude. The descent and diversion was conducted under normal transponder code.

The aircraft conducting the 6E5194 domestic service to Mumbai was an Airbus A320neo, registered VT-IZI. This is a 5.7-year-old narrowbody aircraft belonging to the Indian carrier IndiGo.

It has been an operational service with the airline since its initial delivery from the factory in December 2018.

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In a bizarre incident reported from India, a passenger was found standing in the rear of an IndiGo aircraft cabin by a crew member.

On 21 May, IndiGo flight 6E6543 had pushed back from its stand and was taxiing towards the runway. At this the cabin crew discovered that the flight was overbooked by one passenger.

IndiGo flight 6E6543 was scheduled to depart from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM). The aircraft was on a scheduled regional service bound for Varanasi.

Extra Passenger in Cabin

After taxiing towards the runway, the aircraft then returned to the bay around 07:50 am IST. The incident was reported to DGCA and the airlines ground staff de-boarded the overbooked passenger.

An airline representative spoke in a statement following the incident. “There was an error during the passenger boarding process of 6E6543 from Mumbai to Varanasi. A standby passenger was allotted a seat reserved for a confirmed passenger.”

“The error was noticed prior to the departure of the aircraft, and the standby passenger was de-boarded. This led to a slight delay in the departure of the aircraft.”

“IndiGo will take all measures to strengthen its operational processes and regrets the inconvenience caused to customers”.

The incident came to light when the cabin crew noticed the man standing at the rear end of the aircraft cabin. After detecting the anomaly the crew member immediately informed the captain about it.

Following the SOP’s, the captain decided to return to the bay. All the baggage was subsequently re-checked, and only then the aircraft was allowed to continue its journey.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India has asked the airline to submit a detailed report regarding this incident.

Cause of the Overbooking

The airline later clarified that the overbooked passenger was on a stand-by ticket. Indigo staff had arranged this under their “Staff Leisure Program” (SLT) and the passenger was issued a stand-by ticket.

SLT is program under which airline staff can travel across the network of the airline by paying a very nominal fare.

Under this program the staff is issued a stand-by ticket which is confirmed only in the last minute if there is any seat availability.

According to the airline there was an issue with the system which resulted in a confirmed seat beings allotted to the stand-by passenger, and hence the mix-up unfolded.

Occurrences of such incidents are very rare as there are many SOPs in place to ensure such incidents do not occur. This raises some questions as to whether the SOPs were properly followed or not.

According to the guidelines, the crew is supposed to take a head count before pushback to ensure the passenger manifesto count is correct.

How was this passenger missed during that count? During the safety demonstration, which usually begins after “Door close”, every passenger must be seated. A further question is, how could this passenger be not noticed by the crew even during the pre-takeoff safety briefing?

Only a proper investigation into this incident would highlight the safety lapses that allowed this incident to take place.

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A recent incident at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) in Mumbai has highlighted the importance of bird strike mitigation and wildlife protection near airports.

On 20 May 2024, Emirates flight EK508 arriving from Dubai collided with a flock of flamingos during its landing approach.

The impact with the flock resulted in the deaths of at least 36-40 flamingos. Their bodies were found scattered around the Laxmi Nagar area of Ghatkopar, Mumbai. The area in question falls outside the airport boundaries.

The Forest Department is currently conducting post-mortem examinations and also continuing to search the impact area.

Emirates EK508 Dubai-Mumbai

The inbound Emirates flight, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, was able to land safely at the airport despite sustaining some damage.

The full extent of the damage has not yet been officially confirmed. The aircraft involved is a 9-year old widebody aircraft registered A6-ENT belonging to the carrier Emirates.

The return flight to Dubai was subsequently cancelled to permit a thorough inspection of the aircraft. Passengers were accommodated by the airline as per standard procedures.

Cause of the Collision Under Investigation

The cause of the flamingo strike remains under investigation. However, there have been concerns raised about ongoing construction projects near the Mumbai wetlands. It was speculated that this may be disturbing the birds’ habitat and flight patterns.

The Thane Creek Wildlife Sanctuary which incorporates the flamingo reserve attracts thousands of migratory birds for nesting.

At 65 square kilometres in size, the area is amongst the largest wildlife sanctuaries in Asia.

This incident has sparked discussions about the need for stricter wildlife protection measures in the vicinity of the airport.

Protecting Mumbai’s Unique Ecosystem

Mumbai is a major metropolis, but it also boasts a unique ecosystem that includes these large wading birds.

Flamingos are a seasonal attraction in Mumbai, particularly between December and May. Finding ways to ensure the safety of both air travel and wildlife is crucial.

This incident serves as a reminder of the delicate balance between urban development and environmental responsibility.

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It has been revealed that two passengers were arrested on a Vistara flight from New Delhi to Mumbai last month due to making bomb-related jokes on the plane.

More information has surfaced regarding this incident, so here is what we know so far.

Without further ado, let’s get into it…

UK975 – New Delhi to Mumbai…

Vistara flight UK975, which was involved in the bomb joke incident and the arrest of the two women, is a routine scheduled flight between New Delhi and Mumbai.

The aircraft involved in the incident is registered as VT-TNF.

As per data from Planespotters.net, VT-TNF is a 6.5 year old Airbus A320neo.

It was delivered to the Indian carrier back in December 2017.

Of the A320neo variant, Vistara has 53 of them in the fleet, of which all are in active service.

Furthermore, average age for the variant at the airline stands at 3.3 years.

As we can see from RadarBox data, Vistara flight UK975 departed New Delhi for Mumbai over two hours late due to this bomb joke incident resulting in the arrest of the two women.

It was able to depart at 0747 local time on March 29 and landed safely into the destination at 1004 local time.

How The Situation Unfolded…

Aviation A2Z was able to document the incident, following information received by the outlet.

On Vistara flight UK975, a passenger received information that resulted in the need to disembark.

During that process, it is understood that two women started making jokes about airline security.

They were reported by another passenger on the plane, where bomb threat procedures were carried out.

Furthermore, the two women were then removed and arrested from Vistara flight UK975 New Delhi to Mumbai due to the bomb jokes made.

It is unclear after that what punishment the two women will receive following this incident.

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