Vistara's update for stranded passengers in Turkey after bomb threat on Mumbai-Frankfurt flight

Vistara Airlines will dispatch a substitute aircraft on Saturday to retrieve passengers stranded at a Turkish airport. This follows the diversion of a Frankfurt-bound flight from Mumbai to Turkey on Friday due to an alleged bomb threat. The flight was rerouted to Erzurum Airport in Turkey.

Taking to X, the airlines said, “All the necessary checks have been conducted and the customers, along with the crew and aircraft, have been cleared by the security agencies. Since the crew have exceeded their duty time limitation, we are sending an alternate aircraft, with a fresh set of crew, to Erzurum Airport, Turkey, which is expected to arrive there by 1225 hrs (local time) and depart for Frankfurt, with all customers, by 1430hrs (local time). In the meantime, all efforts are being made to minimize inconvenience to customers, including offering them refreshments and meals. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to them due to this unforeseen situation. As always, the safety and security of our customers, crew and aircraft is of utmost importance to Vistara.”

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What happened?

Vistara flight UK 27, travelling from Mumbai to Frankfurt, took off at 1.01 pm on Friday after a one-hour delay and was expected to reach Frankfurt in Germany at 5.30 pm local time on Friday. However, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was diverted to Turkey after the crew discovered a note on board indicating a bomb threat, according to Vistara sources. The flight landed safely at Erzurum Airport at 7.05 pm local time, according to the airline.

Associated Press quoted Erzurum Governor Mustafa Ciftci as saying that a note indicating "bomb on board" was discovered in a lavatory on the aircraft, leading to the involvement of bomb disposal teams. The plane was searched, and its 234 passengers and 13 crew members were evacuated. The identity of the person who left the note remains unknown.

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Initially, the aircraft was set to land at an airport in Ordu, northern Turkey, but due to construction work, it was rerouted to Trabzon before finally being directed to Erzurum. Ciftci explained that Erzurum was selected for its less congested air traffic. As a result, all departures and landings at Erzurum were halted until 9 pm local time.

The airline further said that all the necessary checks have been conducted, and the security agencies have cleared the customers, crew, and aircraft. In the meantime, Vistara said in the statement that all efforts are being made to minimise inconvenience to customers, including offering them refreshments and meals.

On Friday, the airline announced that Flight UK27 from Mumbai to Frankfurt was diverted to Erzurum Airport in Turkey due to security concerns and landed safely at 7.05 pm local time. The airline did not specify the number of passengers or crew on board. An airline spokesperson mentioned that the crew detected a security issue, prompting them to alert the appropriate authorities.

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