Bomb threat forcing Indian flight to land in Turkiye unfounded: official

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ANKARA (Xinhua) – A bomb threat, which caused a flight operated by India’s Vistara Airlines to make an emergency landing in Erzurum, eastern Turkiye, on Friday, has turned out to be false, according to the local governor.

“We have concluded all search and examination activities and have determined that the bomb threat was unfounded,” Erzurum Governor Mustafa Ciftci told reporters on Saturday.

As a result, the flight ban at Erzurum’s airport has been lifted, he said, noting that an alternate flight from Mumbai, India, has been arranged for the stranded passengers to continue their journey.

The plane en route from Mumbai to Frankfurt made an emergency landing in eastern Turkiye on Friday following a bomb threat. Turkish authorities said a note reading “bomb on board” was discovered in a lavatory on the aircraft, prompting the plane, with 247 passengers and crew on board, to make an emergency landing.

Passengers of the Vistara flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt walk along the tarmac as they leave the plane at the Erzurum airport in eastern Turkiye. PHOTO: AP