Singapore’s air force scrambled two F-15SG fighter jets on Tuesday night to escort an Air India Express passenger plane away from populated areas after the airline received a bomb threat, Al Jazeera reports.
The aircraft, flight AXB684, safely landed at Changi Airport at 10:04pm (1404 GMT) after being escorted by the fighter jets.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen confirmed the incident in a Facebook post, stating that Singapore’s ground-based air defence systems and explosive disposal team were activated during the incident. Upon landing, the plane was handed over to airport police who conducted a thorough security check. No threatening items were found on board.
The threat came via email, and while the incident caused significant disruption, it was later determined to be a hoax. Air India has confirmed that Indian airlines have faced “a number of threats in recent days” through email or social media, all of which have been found to be false.
This incident follows a series of bomb hoaxes targeting Indian airlines. Earlier on Tuesday, an Air India flight bound for Chicago was diverted to Canada due to a bomb threat. The previous day, a flight from Mumbai to New York was diverted to Delhi for the same reason. Indian budget airlines have also been affected, with IndiGo delaying flights to Oman and Saudi Arabia and SpiceJet receiving a bomb threat to a flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai.
