Terrifying moment Air India pilot says 'there is a suspected bomb'
by Milo Pope · Mail OnlineThis is the terrifying moment an Air India pilot calmly tells traffic controllers 'there is a suspect bomb on board' a flight into London.
RAF typhoon fighter jets scrambled to meet flight AIC129 from Mumbai in the air as it made its way into Heathrow due to the active bomb threat alert.
From inside the cockpit of the Boeing 777, the pilot can be heard saying: 'There is a suspected bomb on board, requesting landing sir. We have a bomb threat. Air India 129 is requesting this.'
More than a dozen fake bomb threats have been made against flights operated by multiple Indian air services this week, prompting government and civil aviation authorities to warn that 'very strict action' will be taken.
India's Vistara airline said Thursday that its passenger jet flying from Frankfurt to Mumbai the day before had received a 'security threat' on social media, but landed safely at its planned destination.
'We are fully cooperating with the security agencies to complete the mandatory security checks', Vistara said in a statement.
India's aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said late Wednesday that the police had arrested 'a minor responsible for issuing bomb threats' against three flights.
'All others responsible for the disruptions will be identified and duly prosecuted,' Naidu added.
Flights impacted include an Air India plane from New Delhi to Chicago, forced to make an emergency landing in Canada on Tuesday.
On the same day, Singapore scrambled fighter jets to escort an Air India Express plane.