Bomb threat forces Air India flight to make emergency landing

An Air India flight has received an onboard bomb threat less than 24 hours after another plane from the same carrier crashed and killed more than 290 people.

It comes less than 24 hours after an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday shortly after takeoff, killing more than 290 people. Picture: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool

Police have brought in “several suspects” after an Air India flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Thailand after receiving an onboard bomb threat on Friday, according to the country’s airport authorities.

All 156 passengers on Flight AI 379 from Phuket in Thailand to India’s capital New Delhi were escorted from the plane, according to an Airports of Thailand official, as reported by Reuters.

Airports of Thailand said on its Facebook page for Phuket that the pilot of the Airbus A320 radioed air traffic control that a bomb-threat message had been found on board.

“We received a report of a bomb threat written inside the aircraft’s bathroom, so the pilot informed the control tower and decided to divert the flight to Phuket International Airport after circling to burn off fuel,” Monchai Tanode, director of Phuket International Airport told a press conference.

“Police have brought in several suspects, but have not yet been able to identify who wrote the message,” Monchai added.

The plane took off from Phuket airport bound for New Delhi at 9.30am local time (1.30pm AEDT) and then looped around the Andaman Sea before landing back on the southern Thai island, according to flight tracker data on Flightradar24.

It comes less than 24 hours after an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday shortly after takeoff, killing more than 290 people.

It comes less than 24 hours after an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday shortly after takeoff, killing more than 290 people. Picture: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool

The flight was bound for London’s Gatwick airport and was carrying 242 people onboard including two pilots and 10 cabin crew.

A British passenger miraculously survived the deadly incident, according to local officials and video of him walking away relatively unscathed.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was in seat 11A when the Boeing 787-8 crashed into a residential neighbourhood.

He is recovering in hospital, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told ANI news.

Air India has also not immediately responded to a request for comment, according to Reuters’ report.

Originally published as Bomb threat forces Air India flight to make emergency landing