Ammunition cartridge found on Air India plane after a Dubai-Delhi flight on Oct 27, probe on | Business News
In what is being seen as a major security lapse, an ammunition cartridge was found in a seat pocket of an Air India aircraft after it operated a flight from Dubai to Delhi last Sunday (October 27), and the matter is under investigation by the police on the basis of a complaint lodged by the Tata group airline. This comes at a time when Indian airlines have been hit by scores of fake bomb threats—mostly posted on social media platform X from anonymous and unverified accounts—over the past three weeks.
“One ammunition cartridge was found in the pocket of a seat of our flight AI916 after it had landed from Dubai at Delhi on 27 October 2024 and all passengers had safely disembarked. A complaint was immediately lodged with the Airport Police by Air India strictly adhering to the laid down security protocols. We understand the matter is under investigation by the appropriate authorities. Safety and security of our passengers and crew remain the topmost priority for Air India,” an Air India spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday.
While the airline did not comment further on the incident, given that the police investigation is underway, sources indicated that the cartridge was found by airline staff during the aircraft’s routine cleaning after its arrival at the Delhi airport from Dubai. Officials declined to comment on the status of the probe, the angles being investigated, and whether aviation security authorities of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been roped in to assist with the probe.
Notably, over 500 flights of Indian airlines have received bomb threats since October 14, sending the airlines, airports, and security agencies into a tizzy, and forcing a few flight diversions and strict post-landing security checks and screenings in a number of cases. A vast majority of these threats, all of which have turned out to be fake so far, were posted from anonymous and unverified social media handles.
As a result, the country’s aviation security ecosystem is on high alert and security has been enhanced at various Indian airports with the number of security screenings at various checkpoints being increased. This has been done to be doubly sure that no suspected articles are carried on board the aircraft. However, the Indian government has no control over security arrangements at airports outside India.
The relevant government ministries—including the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)—and agencies have gone into a huddle in view of these bomb threats, and are working in close coordination to deal with the spate of threats as well as ensure robustness of aviation security in the country.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
