Bomb threat panic on Air India flight from UK as jet forced to divert in latest air drama 11 days after Ahmedabad crash
AN AIR India flight en route from Birmingham to Delhi was forced to divert to Riyadh following a worrying bomb threat, airline officials said.
The threat came after the horror Air India disaster in Ahmedabad earlier this month, which killed all but one passengers and crew.
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In the latest blunder for the airline, Air India Flight AI114 was forced to land in Saudi Arabia 's capital after a shocking threat was received mid-air.
The jet had departed at 8:26pm on June 21 from Birmingham Airport.
But passengers were left confused when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane diverted from its original destination.
The aircraft went on to land safely, and all those on board underwent standard security checks on Saturday.
A spokesperson for the airliner confirmed to local media on Sunday that precautionary procedures were followed, and the situation was handled swiftly and securely.
They said: "Flight AI114 from Birmingham to Delhi on June 21 received a bomb threat and was consequently diverted to Riyadh, where where it landed safely and completed security checks."
No explosive material was found on board the jet after its inspection.
And all passengers on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were provided with hotel accommodation.
This incident comes amid a recent string of chilling Air India issues, marked by a series of flight cancellations and disruptions since the deadly crash in Ahmedadbad on June 12.
Just hours after the deadly smash, another Air India flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Thailand after a bomb threat.
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Flight AI379 was travelling from Phuket to India's capital New Delhi - before it suddenly landed again after an explosion warning, according to authorities.
The latest bomb threat comes as Air India continues to be hit with criticism for "repeated violations" - after three officials were sacked over "systemic failures" following the tragic crash.
Cracks within the airline have started to show after flight AI171 smashed into a doctors' hostel and exploded into a huge fireball.
Investigators are continuing their probe into what caused the airline's London-bound plane to plunge to the ground moments after takeoff in Ahmedabad.
Air India said last Thursday that the doomed Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane was "well-maintained" and that the pilots were accomplished flyers.
The airline's chief N Chandrasekaran also hit back at 'speculation' on what caused the London-bound flight to crash a minute after take-off.
And it was revealed that the black box recovered from the flight could be sent to the US for analysis after being rescued from a blazing 1,000 degree inferno.
The Indian government has the final say on who probes the device, but reports say the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington, D.C. is being considered for the analysis.
A team of Indian investigators is expected to accompany the device to ensure all protocols are followed during the advanced data extraction.
Investigators warned last Tuesday that the recovered black boxes may have melted due to the intense heat of the raging explosion.
52 Brits died on board the flight, but London local Vishwash Kumar Ramesh managed to cheat death when he escaped the blazing inferno following the crash.
Theories have swirled over how the sole survivor managed to narrowly escape death when he was sat in seat 11A during the horror smash.
Leading theories on Air India Flight AI171
THESE are some of the leading theories explaining the tragic Air India disaster which killed at least 270 people.
Emergency power system: A small turbine generator was seen deploying as the Boeing 787 went down, experts said.
Footage showed a "protrusion on the belly of the aircraft" with a "little grey dot" beneath it.
Commentators say this was a system called Ram Air Turbine (RAT) poking out from the fuselage of the plane.
Bird Strikes: A bird strike could have taken out both of the jet's giant General Electric engines.
While a bird taking down something the size of a commercial airliner might sound fanciful, there are numerous examples.
Wing flap position: Aviation experts have suggested the position of the aircraft's wing flaps could have played a role in the disaster.
Video evidence suggests the flaps were either fully retracted or on a very minimal setting, which would have provided very little lift.
The flaps provide crucial extra lift at low speeds during take-offs and landings.
Pilot error: The state-of-the-art Boeing 787-8 is highly automated, with human pilots making only key decisions - but human error cannot be ruled out.
Co-pilot Clive Kundar had more than 3,400 hours of flying experience and made the mayday call but Captain Sumeet Sabharwa at the helm had 11,500 hours - making him one of Air India's most experienced pilots.
Heat: Planes get less lift on a hot day due to lower air density, and therefore they need to go faster to get as much lift as on a cooler day.
This is particularly important when an airliner is heavy with fuel, passengers and baggage, as the Air India flight was.
Technical error: Catastrophic technical or engineering issues have not been ruled out.
The jet's complex design mean it could take months for a design or engineering fault to be pinpointed.
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