A Frankfurt-bound Vistara flight had to return to its origin in Delhi on Sunday after Afghanistan banned it from using its airspace due to a bomb threat. The Delhi-Frankfurt flight UK25 was operated with a Boeing 787 aircraft and had more than 240 people onboard.
The flight received a bomb threat, which was classified as "non-specific" and it was decided that the flight would continue its journey to Frankfurt. Besides the Vistara flight, six Bengaluru-bound flights operated by an Indian airline also received bomb threats via X.
However, Afghanistan denied permission for the flight to enter its airspace.
As per information available on Flightradar24.com, the plane circled in the Pakistan airspace and also entered the Afghanistan airspace briefly before turning back. The aircraft safely landed in Delhi around 1620 hours.
It had taken off from the airport at around 1:10 pm and landed back three hours later. "Flight UK25 from Delhi to Frankfurt (DEL-FRA) is returning back to Delhi (DEL) and is expected to arrive in Delhi (DEL) at 1620 hours," the airline had said in a post on X at 1619 hours.
With the bomb threats disrupting services, Asangba Chuba Ao, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has said that the aviation security regulator is working to find solid solutions for the continuous hoax bomb threats faced by Indian airlines.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu too said that the ministry was pursuing these issues. "From the ministry side, we are looking at a change in legislation, also change in some rules, " Mohan Naidu told ANI.
On the reasons behind the hoax calls, Naidu said it was "difficult to tell at this point in time."
"The police have to do the due diligence, they have to catch the perpetrators who are behind this issue. Once, we get to them, then it is easier for us to tell why they are doing it. What is the reason behind it," he added.