On Monday, a flight carrying 239 passengers from Mumbai to New York was suddenly stopped due to serious bomb threats made on social media. The threat led to not just this flight being grounded but also caused delays for two other flights.
Early in the morning, the airport in Mumbai received a troubling message on X (formerly known as Twitter). The message warned that there was a bomb on Air India flight AI119, which was headed to John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in New York. Authorities in Delhi were immediately informed about the threat.
Despite taking off around 2 AM, the plane had to change course and land at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. The decision to ground the flight came from a security committee responsible for passenger safety. A police official reassured everyone that standard safety protocols were being followed to ensure the safety of both passengers and crew members.
As the situation unfolded, two other international flights operated by IndiGo—one heading to Muscat and another to Jeddah—were also redirected to isolated areas after receiving similar bomb threats.
This scare occurred just days after a controversial Sikh separatist leader named Gurpatwant Singh Pannun made alarming statements about India. He threatened to “Balkanize” India, suggesting that its borders would be redrawn by 2047. Pannun, who is currently based in New York, has been a focal point of tension between India and its allies like the United States and Canada. In a recent video, he called for military action from China to seize Indian territories and initiate separatist movements in various regions of India.
Pannun has been labeled a terrorist by the Indian government. He was allegedly the target of an assassination attempt in New York last year, with US prosecutors claiming the Indian government was involved. While India rejected these claims, they have formed a committee to investigate the matter thoroughly.
This isn’t the first time threats have disrupted flights. Last year, a Sikh separatist group planted explosives on Air India Flight 182, resulting in the tragic deaths of 329 people. Many of the victims were Canadian citizens of Indian descent.
Earlier this year, over 40 airports in India received bomb threats, leading to lengthy security checks that turned out to be unnecessary. Many threats were later found to be hoaxes, often instigated by young people who were influenced by what they saw online.
As tensions rise and safety becomes a concern, passengers and authorities are left wondering: What will happen next?
