A bomb threat to IndiGo flight 6E588 from Chennai to Goa triggered a formal security response at Chennai airport on Monday, with passengers deboarded and the aircraft moved to an isolation bay before the flight eventually departed after a nearly five-hour delay.
The flight was scheduled to leave at 5.40pm. According to the Times of India report, the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee classified the threat as specific at 6.05pm, prompting security agencies to move the aircraft to the designated isolation bay.
All passengers had been deboarded by 6.55pm. The aircraft was then subjected to prescribed security checks, including an anti-sabotage check, as agencies assessed whether there was any immediate risk to passengers, crew or airport operations.
The bomb threat response was called off at 9.20pm after the searches were completed. The aircraft was subsequently handed back to IndiGo, allowing the airline to resume preparations for the delayed service.
Flight 6E588 eventually departed for Goa at 10.30pm, around four hours and 50 minutes after its scheduled departure time. The incident extended the travel time for passengers and required airport security agencies and the airline to coordinate the aircraft’s isolation, passenger movement, inspection and release.
The sequence reflects the operational consequences of a specific threat assessment at an airport. Once the threat was classified as specific, the aircraft was separated from normal airport activity and passengers were removed before the security checks began. The report did not provide details about the origin of the threat, whether any suspect item was found, or whether any person had been identified in connection with it.
The aircraft remained under security scrutiny until the searches were completed and the response was formally called off. Only after the aircraft was handed back to IndiGo did the airline proceed with the delayed departure to Goa.
For passengers, the immediate impact was the deboarding process and the extended wait between the scheduled departure and the eventual take-off. The flight’s departure at 10.30pm marked the end of the disruption reported in connection with the threat. The supplied report did not state whether other flights or airport services were affected.
