Worrying trend! Vistara flight bound for London diverted to Frankfurt after it receives bomb threat

A Vistara flight travelling from Delhi to London was diverted to Frankfurt early Saturday morning due to a bomb threat, officials reported. After comprehensive security inspections confirmed no threat, the flight continued its journey to London.

This incident is part of a worrying trend, as at least 15 flights have received similar bomb threats in just one week, many of which were later identified as hoaxes. While some flights were able to conduct security checks before takeoff, others were forced to divert.

The Vistara flight, designated UK17, landed safely at Frankfurt Airport around 12:40 AM Indian time. Following a two-hour delay for mandatory security checks, the flight resumed its route to London, according to an airline spokesperson.

"In line with protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed, and as a precautionary measure, the pilots decided to divert the flight to Frankfurt," the spokesperson stated. The bomb threat was reportedly received via social media.

On the previous day, an Akasa Air flight from Bengaluru to Mumbai also faced a security alert shortly before departure, leading to the deplaning of all passengers for safety checks. These checks ultimately determined that the threat was a false alarm.

In recent days, Indian carriers have been inundated with bomb threats, all of which have been confirmed as hoaxes. Investigating agencies have noted recurring phrases in these threats, including alarming statements such as "bombs," "blood will spread everywhere," "explosive devices," and "this is not a joke."

Authorities have made progress in tracing the origins of these threats. A 17-year-old boy from Chhattisgarh was detained by Mumbai Police in connection with threats made against three flights on October 14. Investigators have identified some IP addresses linked to the threats as originating from overseas locations, including London.

Police teams are currently collaborating with Virtual Private Network (VPN) service providers and social media platforms to gather more information, as VPNs can obscure the physical locations of users.