Hoax bomb threat delays IndiGo Lucknow-Delhi flight with 180 aboard

A Lucknow-Delhi IndiGo flight carrying roughly 180 passengers was delayed Friday after a hoax bomb threat was found written on a tissue paper in the aircraft lavatory.

The note was discovered by cabin crew during pre-departure checks, prompting the airline to evacuate the plane and call in security teams. Bomb disposal squads swept the aircraft and found no explosive device. The flight eventually departed after a delay of several hours, IndiGo said in a statement.

Hoax threats on Indian carriers have ticked up in recent months. In June, a similar note on a SpiceJet flight forced an emergency landing in Delhi. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has warned airlines to tighten pre-flight cabin inspections, though the agency has not proposed specific penalties for false alarms.

IndiGo did not say whether the passenger responsible had been identified. Local police said they were reviewing CCTV footage from the boarding gate and the jet bridge. No arrests have been reported.

The incident comes as Indian airlines carry record passenger volumes. Domestic air traffic hit 15.2 million in May, up 12% from a year earlier, according to DGCA data. Security delays at major airports have drawn complaints from travelers, though the regulator has attributed most holdups to infrastructure constraints rather than threat responses.

IndiGo shares closed flat on the National Stock Exchange Friday. The stock is up 18% year to date, roughly in line with the broader Nifty 50 index.