After bomb hoax, Canadian Air Force ferries stranded Air India passengers to Chicago

In a statement on Wednesday, Air India said passengers of flight AI127, which was diverted to Iqaluit in Canada on October 15, are on their way to their destination – Chicago.

‘Passengers are being ferried on a Canadian Air Force aircraft that has taken off from Iqaluit at 03:54 hrs UTC and is expected to land in Chicago at around 07.48 hrs UTC,’ the airline said.

An official said the aircraft has landed at Chicago.

The flight that was diverted on Tuesday had 211 people, including 20 crew members, onboard.

Passengers have gone in the Canadian Air Force aircraft with their hand baggage. Their checked-in baggage will be carried in the Air India aircraft when it leaves for Chicago, the official in the know said.

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Earlier, Canada’s Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan said that 211 people of the flight were stranded and despite great efforts, the city of Iqaluit is not equipped to house them.

‘After consultation with Transport Minister Anita Anand and in my role as Minister of Emergency Preparedness, I have approved a request for Canadian Forces resources to ease the pressure on Iqaluit and send passengers safely to their destination in Chicago,’ he said in a post on X.

Air India also thanked the Canadian authorities and authorities at Iqaluit airport for their support and assistance extended to the passengers and the airline during this unexpected disruption.

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On Tuesday, Air India’s Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft enroute to Chicago from Delhi was diverted to the Canadian airport following a bomb threat.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had said that the flight made an emergency landing at Iqaluit, Nunavut, and all 211 people including the crew disembarked the aircraft.

Meanwhile, in the past two days, at least 10 Indian flights have received bomb threats and after security checks, nothing suspicious was found in the respective planes.