Air India just can’t catch a break! Once again, the airline received a threat mid-flight, causing chaos in the skies above London.
According to Independent UK on Saturday (19/10), Flight AI129 was cruising along its usual route from Mumbai to London when it became the latest victim in a bizarre string of threats targeting Indian airlines. This marks the 20th time a threat hoax has rattled Air India.
The plane was preparing for a smooth landing at Heathrow Airport when, at 12:24 PM, the Boeing 777 suddenly veered north over East Anglia. The reason? A chilling threat that left the pilot scrambling to communicate with air traffic control.
“There’s a suspected bomb onboard, requesting landing. Air India 129 requesting immediate landing,” the pilot reported.
Naturally, this wasn’t going to be just another regular day in the sky. The Royal Air Force (RAF) deployed Typhoon jets to intercept and escort the plane, adding a little extra drama to the situation.
The aircraft was ordered to circle the skies over the Suffolk-Norfolk border, looping around like it was on a sightseeing tour, before finally being allowed to return to its original course. After making a few more loops in East London due to air traffic congestion, the plane safely landed about 90 minutes late—no bomb, no drama, just a whole lot of unnecessary adrenaline.
In serious terrorism cases, planes bound for the UK are typically diverted to Stansted Airport in Essex, where specialized security forces are on standby. But this time, AI129 managed to land safely at Heathrow after its nerve-wracking delay.
Originally scheduled to return to Mumbai at 2 PM, the plane’s delay meant it likely wouldn’t be heading back to India until 3 PM—assuming, of course, no more bomb threats popped up to ruin everyone’s day.
But that’s not all! According to The Times of India, AI129 wasn’t the only target. On the same day, five other Air India flights received similar bogus threats. Even AI Express, its sister airline, wasn’t spared, with six threats lobbed its way. Not to be outdone, competitors IndiGo and Vistara each got hit with two threats as well.
In one of the most extreme cases this week, an Air India flight from Delhi to Chicago was diverted to the frozen, remote Iqaluit in the Canadian Arctic. Passengers were then flown to Chicago on a Canadian Air Force transport plane, making for quite the adventure in the Arctic Circle!