One day it’s a clogged toilet, another day it’s a bomb threat…
In this post:
Air India 777 returns to Mumbai over bomb threat
This incident happened today (March 10, 2025), and involves Air India flight AI119, scheduled to fly from Mumbai (BOM) to New York (JFK). The flight was operated by an 11-year-old Boeing 777-300ER with the registration code VT-AER.
The plane took off from Mumbai this morning at 2:06AM, and started its journey across India, Pakistan, Iran, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. However, around four hours after departure, as the plane entered Armenian airspace, it made a 180-degree turn, and headed back to Mumbai. The flight ended up landing there at 10:25AM local time, 8hr19min after it departed. 
What was the reason for the return to Mumbai? Officially it was a “potential security threat that was detected mid-flight,” though reports suggest that it was a bomb threat. The flight has now been rescheduled for roughly 27 hours later, at 5AM on March 11, 2025.
Air India has released the following statement regarding this situation:
A potential security threat was detected mid-flight on AI119 operating Mumbai-New York (JFK) today, 10 March 2025. After following the necessary protocols, the flight air-returned to Mumbai, in the interest of the safety and security of all on board. The flight landed safely back in Mumbai at 1025 Hrs (local time). The aircraft is undergoing mandatory checks by security agencies, and Air India is extending its full cooperation to the authorities. The flight has been rescheduled to operate at 0500 Hrs of 11 March 2025, and all passengers have been offered hotel accommodation, meals, and other assistance until then. Our colleagues on the ground are making sure to minimise the inconvenience caused to our passengers by this disruption. As always, Air India accords the highest priority to the safety of passengers and crew.
India has an aviation bomb threat crisis
As of now, we don’t know how credible of a threat was made against this particular Air India 777. However, one thing is for sure — India has a bit of an issue with bomb threats. Essentially, the country takes all bomb threats impacting aviation very seriously, even if it’s as simple as some social media account with no followers claiming that there’s a bomb on a particular flight.
Of course safety is paramount and credible threats should be taken seriously, but if you ask me, India takes it to the extreme. For example, just a couple of weeks ago, a Delhi-bound American 787 diverted to Rome, after it received a bomb threat. It was determined that the threat was non-credible, but authorities in India reportedly still required a diversion, which created an operational mess.
It almost seems like these threats being taken so seriously is causing even more copycat threats, since people love how much attention they’re getting. So I find it rather extreme to take these threats so seriously.
Here’s what’s even wilder to me, though. If you’re going to take these threats seriously, what’s the point of making the decision to divert a plane, but then flying it for over four additional hours before landing? Like, is the threat serious or not? Because if there’s actually a concern over it, shouldn’t the plane divert to the nearest possible airport?
I really think India is going to have to do something to get this situation under control. We’ve heard authorities say that they’ll do more to punish those who make these threats, but perhaps the easiest solution is to simply stop giving these jokesters attention, because that’s clearly what they want.
It’s just amazing how many resources are being wasted with all of this — hundreds of thousands of pounds of jet fuel, hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs, hundreds of people wasting more than a day of their life, etc.
Bottom line
An Air India flight scheduled to operate from Mumbai to New York ended up returning to its origin after over eight hours, following a bomb threat. This has been an increasingly common issue in India, as the country takes all bomb threats seriously, even if they’re not credible.
It sure seems like the country needs to reconsider its approach, because the waste of resources here is just unbelievable.
What do you make of this Air India bomb threat diversion?
This is why india need to be tough on its 1.4 billion people.
This is why social credit score is needed.
Westerners think that it is used to suppress the people but it’s only used as deterrent and improve the lives of law abiding citizens.
Meanwhile the US also had no fly list.
Serious threats need to be taken seriously. Unserious threats should be dismissed unseriously. At this stage of the game, it's not even just a security issue, it will be a financial issue. When it starts really hurting Air India's bottom line, they will change their policy regarding bomb threats.
You say that “perhaps the easiest solution is to simply stop giving these jokesters attention, because that’s clearly what they want.”
Yet the irony is that by writing this very article you’re giving the jokesters further attention.
(Sorry! Couldn’t resist pointing it out. It’s your job to write about this stuff. You have to. And I’m pretty sure someone else will now point out that this is not even the definition of irony).
Why is it when an American Airlines flight has a bomb threat? We don’t get all these jokes about clogged toilets?
Because of Air India flight few days ago that had to return to Chicago due to clogged toilets.....
If this was under the Biden administration, the plane would've been a real bomb threat and attacked NY, another achievement by the Musk and Trump team to pre-empt and defend our country.
Good work in getting rid of the muslim threat at wreaks havoc across India.
Yeah sure, as it was happening daily during Biden.
I know you know that you are making stuff up, just wonder what do you think you will achieve?
The entire Brazilian press is reporting today on the embarrassment of the famous Brazilia actress Ingrid Guimaraes, a 52-year-old woman, threatened by the American Airlines team during New York - Rio flight boarding (JFK-GIG). She received the order to immediately downgrade her class, before takeoff. Followed by a horror festival of AA team bad behaviour. It all happened last March 8th, International Women´s day.
How many toilets were clogged on this plane?
The passengers probably have enough to deal with let alone an additional 8 hours on an air India flight.
" the country needs to reconsider its approach"
We laugh about security theater, but I say let Bollywood make an intense drama about someone getting caught and the vicious investigation and punishment that follows. Scare people if you can't actually catch them.
They can't figure out how to synchronize all those dancers and make them sing in a plane without blowing up anything on a plane.
Then the problem of the good girl falling for the bad guy. If anything it's just rewarding more people to pull a bomb hoax.
And that's part of an intense drama.
If it was an action film, it's like John Wick doing WWE.
Bollywood needs to reconsider its approach.
Okay. The good girl stomps on the fools heart, pax secretly dox the perpetrator and toss him out of a plane. Then the celebratory dancing begins?
Are they seriously flying over the Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan?!
But at least the toilets worked!
Hopefully this won’t be so extreme that airlines avoid Indian airspace entirely
Maybe some other organisation is trying to take down Air India as a business. These constant diversions are expensive and customer confidence in the airline is dropping like a stone #conspiracy theory
It's not just Air India though. An American Airlines flight was diverted to Rome a couple of weeks ago due to a similar threat.
Ah yes, I remember.
I don't think Air India needs much help sabotaging itself these days.
Clearly Air India lacks confidence in the boarding and loading processes, it should be a sterile environment after all the passenger and cargo screening.
And passenger screening in India means at least 8 security people actually have to look at your stamped documents before you make it to your seat.
Only 8? I swear it’s more like 30. Always wondered what would happen if I lost that stamped boarding pass. Pretty sure I’d spend the rest of my life in some closet in DEL waiting for some tangled up administrative process.
Now, Mr. Fake Lawyer, please explain why is any criticism made about Air India is an example of Western eugenics-based racism towards South Asians.
Because Skadden doesn't have an office in South Asia.
Because there was no bomb? Duh? These are perpetuated by Chuck Norris and his band of heroes, who happen to be very white and eager to get back and flex.
Plus why only bomb threats? Because TCM can't put blown limbs back on. Only western medicine can and that's not fair. Let's connect the dots people.
farps over and out.