New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) An Air India Express flight from Mumbai to Varanasi received a bomb threat on Wednesday, prompting an immediate security response and activation of standard safety protocols, officials said.

Following the development, a high alert was issued at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi.

“One of our flights to Varanasi received a security threat. In line with protocol, the airport was immediately alerted, and all necessary security procedures promptly initiated,” an Air India Express spokesperson stated.

The airline said that the flight landed safely and all passengers were deboarded without incident. “The flight landed safely, and all guests have been disembarked. The aircraft will be released for operations once all mandated security checks are completed,” the statement added.

Sources said that in a separate incident, budget carrier IndiGo also received digital security alerts concerning five major airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Authorities are investigating the origin and credibility of both threats. Heightened security measures have been implemented across airports as a precautionary step.

Earlier last week, flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) experienced major disruptions due to a technical fault in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, impacting over 400 flights from various airlines, including Indigo, Air India, and others.

–IANS

aps/vd