PHUKET – An Air India flight heading from Phuket to New Delhi turned back and landed safely in Thailand on Friday morning after a bomb threat was reported, according to airport officials. All 156 people on board the Airbus A320 left the aircraft safely.
Flight AI 379 took off from Phuket at 9.05 am and was due to land at Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi at 12.04 pm local time.
Phuket International Airport’s director, Monchai Tanode, stated that the pilot requested permission to return after learning about a threatening note. “We got a report about a bomb threat written in the aircraft’s bathroom.
The pilot contacted the control tower and circled to use up fuel before returning to Phuket,” Monchai explained at a press briefing.
Police looked into several passengers, including three people who raised early suspicion, but couldn’t identify who left the message. Officers from the Sakhu police station are still collecting evidence, including DNA from the note, to find out who was responsible, Monchai added.
Debasish Choudhury, Air India’s station manager, said the crew found the note soon after the plane reached cruising altitude as passengers started using the toilets. Staff suspect the note may have been put in place during boarding, when the aisles were crowded and visibility was low. There are no security cameras near the toilets.
Airport Authorities and police searched the plane but did not find any suspicious items. The airport continued normal operations without delay. Several people were questioned, including those seated near the bathroom and a family involved in a seating disagreement.
No clear link was found between anyone and the note. The flight eventually left Phuket again at 4.28 pm, more than seven hours after its planned departure, according to FlightRadar24.
Airport Authorities and police searched the plane but did not find any suspicious items. The airport continued normal operations without delay.
Air India Flights to Thailand
Air India operates daily nonstop flights from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to Phuket International Airport. The flight (AI 378) departs Delhi at 01:10 and arrives in Phuket at 07:10. The return flight (AI 379) departs Phuket at 08:10 and arrives in Delhi at 10:50.
From June 1, 2024, Air India added six additional weekly flights (except Wednesdays), increasing the total to 13 weekly flights from Delhi to Phuket. The additional flights use Airbus A319 aircraft.
Air India Express, a low-cost subsidiary of the Tata Group, plans to launch direct flights to Phuket from Delhi, with bookings expected to be available soon. Specific schedules are yet to be announced, but the airline aims to cater to leisure travellers.
Air India operates multiple daily nonstop flights from Delhi to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport using Airbus A320 family aircraft. The airline runs 26 weekly flights to Bangkok, including services from Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata.
Air India uses Airbus A320neo for Phuket routes (12 business class, 150 economy seats) and A320 family for Bangkok. Air India Express operates a mixed fleet of Boeing 737s and Airbus A320S, with over 400 daily flights across 56 destinations (38 domestic, 18 international).
