Flight LH752 had departed from Germany and was scheduled to land at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport early Monday.
A Lufthansa flight bound for Hyderabad was forced to make a U-turn and return to Frankfurt Airport in Germany after it failed to receive landing clearance, following a bomb threat.
Flight LH752 had departed from Frankfurt and was scheduled to arrive at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport early Monday.
However, the aircraft turned back mid-route. “We did not receive a permit to land in Hyderabad, and that’s why the aircraft took a U-turn and returned,” news agency ANI quoted Lufthansa Airlines as saying.
The agency also quoted a senior official at Hyderabad airport who confirmed the aircraft’s return, stating that the bomb threat was received while the plane was still outside Indian airspace.
As a result, the flight did not enter Indian territory and instead returned to its point of origin.
The aircraft’s unexpected diversion raised questions, as the airline cited a lack of landing clearance, while airport authorities attributed the incident to the bomb threat.
No further details about the nature of the threat or the aircraft’s passengers were immediately released.
This incident comes just days after a similar scare on June 13 involving an Air India flight. Flight AI 379, travelling from Phuket, Thailand, to New Delhi, was forced to make an emergency landing on the island shortly after takeoff, following a bomb threat.
The Air India aircraft had taken off at 9.30 am when the threat was received, prompting immediate precautionary action by airport officials.
Authorities are investigating both incidents, which have heightened security concerns for incoming international flights into India.
The article originally appeared on Hindustan Times
