Last week, Indian full-service carrier Vistara received a bomb threat on one of its flights which was scheduled to depart from Delhi International Airport for regional Pune International airport. The incident occurred on 18th August 2023 in the early hours.
Vistara flight UK971 Delhi – Pune
An unidentified caller contacted the Delhi International Airport Limited control room in Gurgaon at 7:30am and claimed that “three bombs have been kept in the flight number UK971 parked at gate Number 42 and they will explode in an hour”
By the time the call was received, passengers had already boarded the aircraft.
Soon after getting this information the CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) which is responsible for security at all the airports in India, sprang into action along with Vistara staff and the Bomb Threat Assessment committee.
The passengers were asked to disembark the flight, and the aircraft was taken to a remote bay for a complete search. The bags of the passengers were sent for re-scanning and the sniffer dogs were also pressed into service to assist the search.
Upon investigation and through search nothing suspicious was found and the threat was called off. The flight was scheduled to leave at 8:30am IST and arrive at Pune at 10:40am.
Vistara confirmed the incident and said in a statement that, “We confirm that flight UK 971 scheduled to fly from Delhi to Pune on 18th August,2023, is delayed due to mandatory security checks.
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“In meanwhile, we are making all efforts to minimize inconvenience to our customers, including offering them refreshments.”
Recent Vistara inflight incident
Another incident was reported from Vistara few days ago, when cabin crew accidentally spilled a hot beverage on a child passenger, which resulted in second degree burn.
This incident took place onboard Vistara’s flight UK25 which was enroute to Frankfurt from New Delhi on 11 August.
In a series of tweets, the family expressed disappointment with how airline failed to handle the situation.
They alleged that after the incident occurred, the crew did provide first aid but the family did not even receive an apology from the crew.
The family alleged that once the aircraft landed, the airline arranged an ambulance and left them to fend for themselves – the family had to pay the hefty fee for the ambulance as well as the medical bill.
They also said the airline did not help the family with their luggage, and their friend had to run from point to point later, to get their luggage.
Vistara acknowledged the incident and said that the situation occurred when the girl’s mother requested a hot chocolate for her child. When the crew approached with the drink, it was spilled accidentally due to the playful nature of the young child.
“In line with the standard operating procedures, our crew immediately provided first aid as warranted for the spill, and sought support from a paramedic onboard, who volunteered to assist until the flight landed in Frankfurt.”
“We also ensured medical care immediately upon landing by arranging (for) an ambulance, and the child, along with her mother, was sent to the hospital.”
“Our teams have been in touch with the customer ever since. We have already facilitated their early return to India… and extensive on- ground support.” airline said in a statement.
The airline has also assured that they will be reimbursing all the medical expenses incurred and they are arranging for a flight back to India for the family.
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