Air India flight makes emergency landing in Thailand after bomb threat; all passengers off plane
In this picture obtained from social media, Air India flight AI379 had to make an emergency landing back at Phuket Airport, due to a bomb threat note discovered mid-air, in Phuket, Thailand, on Jun 13, 2025. Indian carrier Vistara has been operated by Air India following a merger in 2024. (Photo: Reuters/Chalit Saeton)
BANGKOK: An Air India flight from Phuket in Thailand to India's capital New Delhi received an onboard bomb threat on Friday (Jun 13) and made an emergency landing on the island, airport authorities said.
All 156 passengers on flight AI 379 were escorted safely from the plane. No suspicious devices were found and there was no disruption to airport operations, authorities said.
The incident occurred after a message with a bomb threat was found in one of the plane's lavatories after takeoff, Phuket Airport general manager Monchai Tanode told a press conference.
"Police took suspects for questioning but could not clearly say who wrote the note," he said.
Air India official Debasish Choudhury said there were initially three suspects and all had been cleared.
The aircraft took off from Phuket airport bound for the Indian capital at 9.30am (10.30am, Singapore time) on Friday, but made a wide loop around the Andaman Sea and landed back on the southern Thai island, according to flight tracker Flightradar24.
According to photos on social media, AI379 is badged with the logo of Indian carrier Vistara. Vistara planes have been operated by Air India since their merger in 2024 following a key Indian government approval.
The incident follows the crash of an Air India flight in Ahmedabad on Thursday shortly after takeoff, in which more than 240 people were killed.
Authorities have not found a bomb on the plane after a preliminary search, said the official.
A bomb threat note, however, was found. The passenger who found it is being questioned, he added.
Indian airlines and airports were inundated with hoax bomb threats last year, with nearly 1,000 hoax calls and messages received in the first 10 months, nearly 10 times that of 2023.
