Air India flight makes emergency landing at Varanasi airport after bomb threat

LUCKNOW: An Air India Express flight from Mumbai to Varanasi made an emergency landing following bomb scare on Wednesday. The incident occured on Air India Express flight IX 1023 which departs from Mumbai at 1.30 PM and reaches Varanasi at 3:50 PM. With the threat leading to high alert at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, the flight made an emergency landing. All the 176 passengers were evacuated safely. An Air India Express spokesperson said a government-appointed Bomb Threat Assessment Committee was immediately alerted as protocol after the flight to Varanasi received a bomb threat. All necessary security procedures promptly initiated. The flight landed safely and all guests have been disembarked. The aircraft will be released for operations once all mandated security checks are completed, the spokesperson said. This comes amid heightened security across Delhi and other parts of the country following the Monday evening Red Fort car blast, which killed at least 10 individuals.