Bomb threat scare on Air India flight from Mumbai a hoax, say police

A bomb threat message in the washroom of an AI flight from Mumbai that resulted in a full emergency being declared at the Thiruvananthapuram airport here on Thursday turned out to be a hoax according to the police. A senior officer of the Thiruvananthapuram city police said the threat was a hoax. The police also said that no explosive was found on the aircraft after an intensive search carried out by security agencies. The emergency declared at the airport in the morning was withdrawn around 12.10 pm, airport sources said, adding that all the 135 passengers who travelled on the flight were permitted to leave at 12.45 pm. Police have launched an investigation into the incident. Earlier in the morning, the pilot of the aircraft informed the ATC about the threat after a 'Bomb in flight' message, written on a tissue paper, was found in the washroom of the plane, the sources said. The bomb threat was communicated by the pilot at 7.30 am as the aircraft approached the Thiruvananthapura