Flight AI 379, carrying 156 passengers, took off from Phuket International Airport at 9:30 AM local time (0230 GMT). However, after making a loop around the Andaman Sea, the aircraft returned to the Thai island in accordance with emergency procedures.
“All 156 passengers on flight AI 379 had been escorted from the plane, in line with emergency plans,” an Airports of Thailand (AOT) official said.
The flight tracking platform Flightradar24 showed the plane turning back mid-flight before landing safely. AOT did not disclose specific details of the bomb threat. Air India has not issued a statement on the matter.
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This incident comes a day after an Air India aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, resulting in more than 240 deaths.
India’s aviation sector has been experiencing a surge in bomb threats. According to official data, nearly 1,000 hoax calls and messages were recorded in the first 10 months of last year—almost ten times the total number from 2023.
