Air India Express From Dammam Makes Emergency Landing In Ahmedabad After 'Bomb' Note Found In Lavatory; Aircraft Cleared After Security Sweep

An Air India flight travelling from Dammam in Saudi Arabia to Delhi made an emergency landing at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Monday, August 31, after a crew member discovered a tissue paper in the lavatory carrying the word “bomb”.

According to a report by the Times of India, the aircraft was carrying 32 passengers when the note was found, prompting the pilots to divert the flight to Ahmedabad as a precaution.

Flight Diverted To Ahmedabad

The aircraft landed safely at Ahmedabad airport at around 4:22–4:30 pm IST. Following the landing, all passengers were deboarded at Terminal 2 and moved to a secure area as security agencies began a detailed inspection of the aircraft.

The precautionary landing was carried out after the crew alerted the pilots about the threatening message found inside the aircraft’s lavatory.

No Bomb Or Explosive Found

Security agencies conducted a thorough search of the aircraft and its surroundings following the emergency landing.

No bomb, explosive device or suspicious item was found during the checks, officials said. The aircraft remained under inspection as a precaution while authorities assessed the incident.

Livemint reported that airport and police officials confirmed that all passengers were safe and that an investigation had been launched.

Probe Into Suspected Hoax Threat

Authorities are treating the message as a potential hoax threat and have begun an investigation to determine who placed the note inside the lavatory and whether it was intended to trigger a security response.

Such threats, even when ultimately found to be false, can lead to emergency diversions, passenger evacuations and extensive security checks.

The latest incident comes amid previous cases in which threatening messages were found inside aircraft lavatories, resulting in precautionary landings and security sweeps at Indian airports.

No injuries were reported in Monday’s incident, and all 32 passengers were safely accounted for.