The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata was placed on high alert Tuesday afternoon following a bomb threat targeting an IndiGo flight bound for Mumbai. The threat prompted swift action from airport authorities, who evacuated all passengers and launched an emergency security operation.
According to officials, an unidentified caller phoned the airport claiming that a bomb had been planted on IndiGo flight 6E5227, which was scheduled to depart Kolkata at 1:30 pm and arrive in Mumbai at 4:20 pm. “The call came after the passengers had already checked in. Emergency protocol was immediately activated,” said an airport official who requested anonymity.
As a precaution, all 195 passengers on board were safely deplaned, and the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay for thorough inspection.
“Luggage was unloaded, and bomb squad personnel began scanning the aircraft. Meanwhile, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) tightened security across the airport,” the official added. Security teams, including the bomb detection and disposal squad, carried out a complete search of the aircraft to ensure passenger safety.
This incident marks the second bomb scare at an Indian airport since the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, a major counter-terror offensive targeting Pakistan-based terror infrastructure.
Just over a week earlier, on May 6, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport received a similar bomb threat involving an IndiGo flight arriving from Chandigarh. That call, too, turned out to be a hoax.
While Tuesday’s threat is still under investigation, authorities are treating it with utmost seriousness in light of heightened national security concerns following Operation Sindoor.
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