Hyderabad airport receives bomb threat for 3 flights amid disruptions due to IndiGo fiasco

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) of Hyderabad issued a statement about a bomb threat email that was received on 7 December. The bomb threat mail was sent to Hyderabad airport customer support ID for three flights all which landed safely, ANI reported.

• 6E 7178 from Kannur to Hyderabad — Landed safely at 10:50 pm on 7 December
• LH 752 from Frankfurt to Hyderabad — Landed safely at 2:00 am on 8 December.
• BA 277 from Heathrow to Hyderabad. Landed safely at 5:30 am on 8 December.

According to the airport authorities, standard safety protocols were initiated for all three aircrafts. This bomb threat comes at a time IndiGo flight delays and cancellations continue to cause unsettlement among passengers. The past six consecutive days of mammoth cancellations and operational hiccups. The aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo's Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers, seeking an explanation within 24 hours of the receipt of the notice.

Although the airline sought extension of response period, but the DGCA granted time till 6:00 PM of 8 December. The DGCA held the airline accountable for large-scale operational disruptions in recent days and pointed to "significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management."

Nationwide flight disruptions were reported at major airports with Telangana's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Telangana's capital being the worst hit. As many as 400 IndiGo flights were cancelled on 7 December.

• A total of 115 flights at Hyderabad airport were cancelled on Sunday, including 54 arrivals and 61 departures.
• Indira Gandhi International Airport of Delhi saw 109 flight cancellations, including 59 departures and 50 arrivals.
• Kolkata airport witnessed nearly 76 flights cancellations, including 53 departure and 23 arrivals.
• Ahmedabad recorded around 33 per cent IndiGo flight cancellations. A total of 27 flights were cancelled, including 16 arrivals and 11 departures.
• Pune recorded around 25 flight cancellations on Sunday. Moreover, nearly 18 flights from Pune Airport were cancelled on 8 December.
• Agartala airport saw 6 IndiGo flights cancellations.
• Trichy airport witnessed 11 cancellations in total, including 5 arrivals and 6 departures cancelled.

IndiGo on Sunday evening expressed optimism over its operations and said that the airline will improve services and operate 1,650 flights today after nearly 1,500 flights on the previous day.