IndiGo flight makes emergency landing in Chennai after 2 fliers threaten to throw bombs during mid-air row
The plane which took off from Kochi with 171 passengers was diverted to a remote bay at Chennai Airport where it was searched by security personnel and a bomb detection squad.
Security personnels at Chennai Aiport for safety measures
CHENNAI: A dramatic incident unfolded on a private airline flight from Kochi to Chennai Saturday night after two passengers including a foreign national got into a physical altercation and allegedly issued a bomb threat.
Following the chaos, the plane which took off from Kochi with 171 passengers was diverted to a remote bay at Chennai Airport where it was searched by security personnel and a bomb detection squad.
According to sources, the situation became tense when two passengers, a 35-year-old man from Kerala and a foreign national, got into a heated argument.
The verbal duel escalated when the two men allegedly claimed they had explosives and threatened to detonate them. Following this, the passengers informed the cabin crew and the pilot immediately alerted air traffic control. The plane was diverted to a remote bay at Chennai Airport early Sunday morning.
Security personnel, including CISF commandos and bomb disposal experts, were deployed to the scene, the sources said. The personnel conducted a thorough search of the plane and its passengers. After over a two-hour search, the officials declared the passengers' claims were a hoax.
The two passengers involved in the altercation were taken into custody by airport police and are being questioned.