Of over 80 flights alerted, one was flying over Pak

EVEN as the bomb scare saga continued for flights on Thursday, one among those over 80 aircraft, an Air India flight (AI-147) traveling from Ahmedabad to London's Gatwick airport on Thursday, received the "hoax" threat at a time when it was flying over the Pakistan airspace.

- SHEKHAR SINGH

The situation triggered coordinated efforts between Indian and Pakistani ATC, with Pakistan's controllers assisting in safely guiding the aircraft through their airspace.

Meanwhile, Pakistan media reports stated that the aircraft remained in Pakistani airspace for about one hour and 35 minutes, covering close to 700 nautical miles. It was briefly placed in a holding pattern due to certain complexities but did not request an emergency landing.

The flight continued to its destination, following standard aviation protocols, which include notifying the next air traffic control region when a security threat arises.

According to media reports citing sources, the captain chose to manage the situation, noting that the cabin remained calm throughout.