PHUKET — An Air India flight bound for New Delhi successfully departed Phuket International Airport on Friday afternoon after authorities conducted a thorough security investigation following a bomb threat discovered mid-flight. Despite extensive searches, officials were unable to identify who wrote the threatening message.
The incident began at 09.30 a.m. on June 13 when Air India crew members on flight HKT-DEL discovered a handwritten bomb threat in the aircraft’s restroom after takeoff. The message, written on paper, read “F*** you all bomb” – language authorities deemed threatening and dangerous.
The airline immediately declared an emergency and instructed pilots to return to Phuket International Airport at 10.00 a.m. Airport officials activated their Airport Contingency Plan and established an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to assess the situation and coordinate all response operations.
The aircraft was directed to parking bay 99, an isolated area separate from main operations. All 156 passengers were evacuated to the Passenger Holding Area (Bus Gates 81-82) where they underwent thorough security screening along with their luggage.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams conducted systematic searches of the aircraft.
After finding no suspicious objects or threats aboard the plane, Air India received clearance for the flight to depart again at 4:15 a.m. Of the original 156 passengers, 155 continued their journey to New Delhi. One Indian male passenger chose not to continue but was not considered a suspect.
Phuket Airport Director Monchai Tanode, speaking alongside Air India representatives and airport management, confirmed that investigators could not determine which passenger wrote the threatening message. “We cannot identify who among the passengers wrote this threat, so we cannot detain anyone,” he stated.
The airline conducted an internal investigation and categorized potentially relevant passengers into two groups: those seated near the restroom area and a family involved in a seating dispute. However, Air India declined to provide additional details as evidence collection remains ongoing.
after it received a report that a pilot found a bomb threat message shortly after it took off from Phuket earlier, Friday, June 13, 2025.
Airport officials emphasized that the incident did not affect other flight operations and that the airport continues to maintain the highest safety standards to ensure confidence among passengers and all airlines using the facility.
The bomb threat incident occurred just one day after a tragic Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat state, where the aircraft went down minutes after takeoff, killing nearly all 242 passengers and crew members aboard. Only one British passenger survived, while at least 24 people on the ground were also killed.
_______________
