An Air India flight from Mumbai to New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport was forced to return after an onboard security threat was flagged. The plane, which had more than 320 passengers, was safely landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 10:25 AM local time, where it was thoroughly scanned for security threats. After the necessary security check, the threat was found to be hoax.
The Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft that was flying over Azerbaijan was carrying 322 people, including 19 crew members.
An Air India flight from Mumbai to New York was forced to turn back after a bomb threat was discovered mid-flight
The Boeing 777-300 ER, carrying 322 people, safely returned to Mumbai after following safety protocols
— Rahini (@rahini1207) March 10, 2025
In an official statement made by Air India, flight AI119 took off from Mumbai but was brought back mid-air as a precautionary measure in line with standard safety procedures.
“A potential security threat was identified mid-flight on AI119 operating Mumbai-New York (JFK) today, 10 March 2025. Following due protocols, the flight air-turned back to Mumbai in the best interest of the safety and security of all aboard,” an Air India spokesperson affirmed.
An Air India statement said passengers were provided with hotel accommodation and assistance, and the flight has been rescheduled to 5 AM the next day.
Security agencies took charge of the situation immediately upon arrival. Passengers were deboarded safely while officials carried out extensive inspections to ensure there was no real danger.
Air India also assured flyers of its concern for safety and affirmed its total cooperation with investigative agencies. “The aircraft is being subjected to compulsory checks by security agencies and Air India is providing its fullest cooperation to the authorities,” said the airline. Later, the bomb threat message which was written on a tissue in one of the washrooms of the airline was found to be hoax.
Occurrences of such nature underline the importance of air security for passenger safety. Passengers would be accommodated on other flights once security authorities have given them clearance.
