KATHMANDU: Nepal on Monday received a bomb hoax call on an Air India flight AI 216 that was set to return to New Delhi. It is the second hoax call that Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport had received within a week, officials confirmed.
The Air India flight, which landed at 2.41 pm (Nepal Standard Time) on Monday afternoon at Tribhuvan International Airport, received a bomb threat prompting authorities to activate the emergency protocol.
“We didn’t find any suspicious or explosives on board the plane. It is preparing to take flight following the procedures”, Kiran Bajracharya, AIG at Valley Police Office, Ranipokhari, confirmed over phone.
Nepal Army bomb squad along with the Nepal Police Canine division acted quickly to trace the possible explosive on board the plane at an isolated area of the airport, as per the officials. Over four hours of search proved the warning was a hoax call as no suspicious objects were found.
“According to protocol, no dangerous objects were found during the security checks, the situation at the airport is currently normal. It is a second hoax call within a week”, Information officer at Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Gyanendra Bhul confirmed over phone.
Nepal Army information officer Brigadier General Gaurav Kumar K C also reported that no suspicious objects were found during the search. “The disposal team did not find any suspicious objects in the initial search, and we have concluded the search,” he said.
After the bomb scare, a Himalayan Airlines flight located near the aircraft was also moved.
Last week, there was also a bomb scare on a Vistara Airways flight from Delhi, but no suspicious object was found. Recently, repeated false threats on Indian flights have caused fear among passengers. (ANI)