Hyderabad: A Hyderabad-bound Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt returned to the German airport on Sunday after a bomb threat was received at the Hyderabad airport.
Authorities at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport received a bomb threat email at 6.01 p.m. on Sunday.
According to sources, a bomb threat assessment committee was formed, and all procedures were followed as per SOP.
In the interest of safety, the airline was advised to divert back to the origin or the nearest suitable airport.
Later, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad received a message that the flight was returning to Frankfurt.
The flight took off from Frankfurt Airport around 2.15 p.m. It had not entered the Indian airspace when it returned. After two hours into its journey, the Flight LH752 returned and safely landed at Frankfurt Airport.
The flight was originally scheduled to land at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, at 6 a.m. on Monday.
The airline had earlier stated that the flight was not cleared for landing by the Indian aviation authorities.
The flight’s return left passengers confused, and they were informed that it was not given permission to land at Hyderabad airport.
The airlines reportedly arranged overnight accommodation for the passengers. The flight is likely to be rescheduled on Monday.
The aircraft in question was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner came under scrutiny in India following the June 12 crash near Ahmedabad airport.
The plane had crashed minutes after taking off for London’s Gatwick Airport from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, killing 241 out of 242 people on board. The tragedy also claimed the lives of 33 people on the ground.
(IANS)
