Fake 'bomb' note sparks panic on Delhi-Vadodara Air India flight

Police officials said that the Air India flight was ready for take-off when the crew member spotted the tissue paper at 7 pm. (Representational Image).

Panic gripped a Delhi-Vadodara Air India flight at the IGI airport here after a crew member spotted a tissue paper with the word "bomb" written on it in the aircraft's washroom, police said on Thursday.

The flight was searched after the note was discovered on Wednesday evening but nothing suspicious was found, a police officer said. He said the aircraft was ready for take-off when the crew member spotted the tissue paper at 7 pm.

The Central Industrial Security Force and the Delhi Police were informed and passengers were asked to deboard the flight, he said. The aircraft was checked thoroughly and nothing was found. The passengers were provided with a stay at a hotel near the airport, he said.

According to a statement from Air India, a specific security alert was detected on Air India flight AI819 scheduled to operate from Delhi to Vadodara, before departure.

"All passengers were safely deboarded, following the necessary protocol, and the aircraft was taken to a remote bay for mandatory checks by security agencies. Our colleagues on the ground ensured to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected disruption," the statement said.

"Air India is committed to and accords top priority to the safety and security of its passengers and crew," it said. The passengers flew to Vadodara in a special flight on Thursday morning.

This is not the first instance where a flight has been affected by a bomb note or a bomb scare.

In October last year, a Pune-Delhi Akasa Air flight had to make an emergency landing at Mumbai airport after a passenger claimed that he had a bomb in his bag.