BOMB threat on Moscow-Goa Azur Air plane AGAIN, flight diverted to Uzbekistan

A Goa-bound chartered flight from Russian capital Moscow with 240 passengers on board was diverted to Uzbekistan in the wee hours of Saturday (January 21) following a bomb threat, police said. The flight was scheduled to land at the Dabolim airport in South Goa at 4.15 am, a senior police official said.The flight (AZV2463) operated by Azur Air was diverted before it entered the Indian air space, he said. "It was diverted after an email was received at 12.30 am by the Dabolim airport director that mentioned about a bomb being planted on the plane," the official said.

This is the second such incident involving a bomb threat on an Azur Air charter flight, occurring nearly two weeks after a Moscow-to-Goa flight made an emergency landing at Gujarat's Jamnagar airport following a bomb threat. 

The plane then landed at an Indian Air Force base in Jamnagar, Gujarat and NSG was called upon to check the aircraft. After thorough checking on all passengers and luggage overnight, the flight was let go towards its final destination Goa.

In the January 9 incident, the Azur Air office in Russia had received the threat mail, while this time it was received by the office of the Dabolim airport director, sources said. A senior official of the Dabolim airport said a police complaint would be lodged in connection with the incident.

The Russian embassy said it is closely following the situation relating to a Goa-bound flight from Russia that was diverted to Uzbekistan apparently due to a bomb threat. "The embassy is closely following the situation around the Azur Air flight AZV2463 en route from Perm to Goa," the Russian mission said.

"According to available information, the plane made an emergency landing in Uzbekistan after a report of alleged bomb scare," it added. The embassy said the aircraft is being inspected and the airline is preparing to accommodate the passengers in hotels.

With PTI inputs