Air India flight from Dubai to Delhi discovers ammunition cartridge amid rising bomb threats

An alarming discovery was made on an Air India flight from Dubai to Delhi on October 27 when an ammunition cartridge was found in a seat pocket after all passengers had safely disembarked at Delhi Airport. The airline promptly registered a complaint with the airport police, according to an Air India spokesperson.

"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," the spokesperson stated. "A complaint was immediately lodged with the Airport Police by Air India strictly adhering to the laid down security protocols."

Surge in Bomb Threat Hoaxes

This incident follows a troubling surge in hoax bomb threats impacting flights and airports across India. On October 30, a social media post falsely claimed a bomb was placed on an Air India flight from Delhi to Mumbai via Indore. In response, Indore police filed a case against an unidentified individual responsible for the hoax.

Over the past two weeks, more than 510 domestic and international flights have received bomb threats, all of which turned out to be false alarms. These threats, predominantly spread through social media, have caused significant operational and financial burdens on airlines.