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Military fighters escort passenger plane after bomb threat
An Air India plane has landed at Changi Airport after being escorted by Air Force F-15SG fighter jets, marking the third recent threat to India's flag carrier, Reuters reports.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force has mobilised two fighter jets in response to a bomb threat on an Air India Express flight to Singapore late on Tuesday, the country's defence minister said.
Minister Ng Eng Hen said on social media that two Singapore Air Force F-15SG fighter jets were sent to escort Air India flight AXB684 from a populated area after receiving an email that the plane had a bomb.
This is the third confirmed incident in two days involving threats against Air India aircraft, Reuters noted.
Singapore's Defence Minister said the plane was escorted and landed safely at Changi Airport at 10:04am on Tuesday, adding that Singapore's ground-based air defence system and explosive ordnance disposal teams had also been deployed.
"As soon as the plane landed, it was handed over to the airport police," the minister said.
After completing the security check, police said: "No hazardous substances were found on board."
"The police take security threats seriously and will not hesitate to take action against those who deliberately cause alarm in the community," the emailed statement said.
Air India noted on social media that another Chicago-bound flight landed in Canada on Tuesday as a precaution after a security threat surfaced online.
India's largest airline said it and other airlines had received "numerous threats" in recent days. On Monday, an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York was diverted to Delhi after a hoax bomb threat. Budget airline IndiGo reported threats on two flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Muscat, Oman.
On the other side of the world, an Indian airliner was forced to make an emergency landing at the North Pole on Tuesday after receiving a double bomb threat, while a fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Asia. It is the latest in a series of such scams that Xi Jinping has said are targeting the country's airlines.
As authorities in New Delhi and around the world investigate a series of false bomb warnings, Indian airlines have faced "multiple threats in recent days," all of which have turned out to be false, national carrier Air India said in a statement on Tuesday.
An Air India flight from New Delhi to Chicago made an emergency landing in Iqaluit, Canada's northernmost city, on Tuesday. Canadian police said all 211 passengers and crew were taken to the airport.
Air India Flight 127 was diverted "as a precautionary measure" due to "exposure to security threats posted online," the airline said in a statement.
Since Monday, flights of several Indian airlines have been delayed or diverted due to hoax bomb threats. These include domestic and international flights of budget airlines. The threats appear to have originated from emails or social media posts.
It is unclear whether the threats are related or what their motivation is, but Air India said it could not ignore them.
"As a responsible airline, we take all threats seriously," the airline said, adding: "We are working with authorities to hold those responsible accountable for disruptions and inconvenience caused to passengers."
India's Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) plans to meet on Wednesday to discuss the situation, CNN News 18 reports. CNN has reached out to MOCA, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of India and the Civil Aviation Authority for comment.
CNN reported that the Air India plane's forced landing in Canada comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries after Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner.
Canada has accused Indian government agents of involvement in killings, persecution and other "violent acts" against Sikh separatists in the country. India has called the allegations "absurd" and expelled six Canadian diplomats.
While there is no indication that the false bombing reports are linked to the diplomatic row, the threat to Air India flights in Canada brings back painful memories of the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 by Sikh extremists, making it the worst terrorist attack to have ever occurred in Canada. The plane, en route from Montreal to New Delhi, exploded off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people on board, including 250 Canadians.