Air India Delhi-Birmingham flight diverted to Riyadh following bomb threat

An Air India flight from Birmingham to the national capital was diverted to Riyadh due to a bomb threat on Saturday and landed safely in the Saudi city.

In a statement on Sunday, the Tata Group-owned airline, which has temporarily reduced services ensure operational stability, said alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers from Riyadh to their destinations.

“Flight AI114 from Birmingham to Delhi of 21 June received a bomb threat and was consequently diverted to Riyadh where it has landed safely and has completed security checks. All passengers have been deplaned and are being provided hotel accommodation,” it said.

In the wake of the fatal crash of its aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 12, Air India has voluntarily undertaken enhanced pre-flight safety checks and temporary reduction of services to improve stability.

“Despite all efforts, due to extraneous factors such as airspace closures in the Middle East, nighttime curfew at several airports in Europe and East Asia, air traffic congestion, unforeseen operational issues, certain flights get delayed or cancelled,” the carrier said.

The airline also mentioned that sometimes, certain challenges lead to last-minute disruptions.