A bomb scare on an Ahmedabad-Hyderabad flight triggered a security response at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Saturday after a 12-year-old passenger was overheard saying that there was a bomb onboard. Thorough checks of the aircraft and luggage found no explosives, and all passengers were allowed to leave after screening.
The girl, a Class VII student, was travelling back to Hyderabad with 45 other students and three teachers from a private school in Quthbullapur after a school trip to Gujarat. According to police officers quoted by the Times of India, the comment was made about 10 minutes before the flight was due to land.
A cabin crew member heard the girl say, “There is a bomb on the flight,” and immediately informed the captain. Ground authorities were alerted about a possible threat before the aircraft landed at RGI Airport at around 7.45 am.
Following standard security procedures, the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay after landing and passengers were asked to disembark. Central Industrial Security Force personnel and police officers then conducted anti-sabotage checks of the aircraft and examined the luggage.
“We did not find any suspicious objects,” B Kiran Kumar, inspector at the RGI Airport outpost, told the Times of India. The checks cleared the aircraft of any explosive or suspicious item, allowing passengers and the student group to leave with their luggage after security screening.
Officials said the girl was counselled through her teachers. Police also said that no complaint was lodged and no case was registered because the incident involved a minor. The response nevertheless placed airport security personnel on high alert and temporarily required the aircraft to undergo isolation and detailed inspection.
The incident highlights the operational consequences of even an unverified threat inside a commercial aircraft. Cabin crew are required to report statements or behaviour that could indicate a security risk, leaving airport authorities to assess the threat after landing through controlled disembarkation, aircraft isolation and anti-sabotage checks.
The passengers and students were released after the security process was completed. No further action was reported by airport police in the information available.
