Turkish Airlines flight makes emergency landing at Delhi Airport post bomb scare, passengers quizzed

New Delhi: Turkish Airlines Flight TK-65, flying from Bangkok to Istanbul, was forced to make an emergency landing at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGi) Airport following a bomb threat on Tuesday, according to television reports. [caption id=“attachment_2125815” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Agencies[/caption] All 148 passengers (including 14 flight crew members) on the plane have been evacuated safely and the aircraft has been taken to an isolated bay for further checks. The plane, an Airbus 330, landed safely at 1341 hours on Tuesday at IGI Airport and was taken to an isolation bay, sources said, adding that “it appears to be a hoax”. A suspected bomb was detected by the pilot of the aircraft and he informed the Air Traffic Control, CISF sources said. According to airport sources, a message, written with lipstick, on the bathroom mirror of the plane warned of a bomb in the cargo hold of the plane. Flight Crew saw message on bathroom mirror and contacted Nagpur ATC who guided them to Delhi ATC, reported Firstpost editor Sindhu Bhattacharya. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said NSG and bomb disposal squad were pressed into service. “No explosive was found inside the cabin. The cargo portion is being checked,” he said, adding the process may take about three hours. He said the entire area was cordoned off and the fire brigade was alerted. As of now, the incident has not been declared as a hoax. Sources say cargo is being checked and passengers are being quizzed. No more information is coming from IGI, they are now redirecting to MHA and security agencies. Intelligence Bureau and RAW are reported to be scanning the passenger list. Thorough check of the plane and the baggage is currently underway and initial television reports say that no bomb has been found on the plane. Delhi International Airport Limited is doing all that is possible to help the authorities. Emergency has been declared at IGI Airport and security agencies, including CISF and NSG, have been put on high alert. MoS Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma spoke to the media and said that the situation was being closely monitored. “We have informed Turkish authorities. They are screening the matter. Other flights have been given some distance area. All passengers have been offloaded safely,” he said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to DG, CISF, on the phone and has been keeping a watch on the situation.

Turkish Airlines have given an official statement on the situation. “Turkish Airlines Bangkok – Istanbul flight (TK065, A 330 Aircraft, carrying 134 passengers) has diverted to Delhi after a possible bomb threat. The plane has already landed in Delhi and all of our passengers and cabin crew have been safely evacuated and taken to the terminal building," the statement said. “Necessary safety checks are currently taking place. Furthermore, precautions have been taken for towing the aircraft out of its current place, and this is currently in progress.” With inputs from PTI