Air India passengers get lift from air force after bomb scare forces Nunavut landing

By The Canadian Press on October 16, 2024.

A passenger holds a phone in their hand as an Air India aircraft taxis to a de-icing area prior to departure at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

IQALUIT, Nunavut – More than 200 Air India passengers have landed in Chicago after a bomb threat forced their flight to be diverted to Nunavut.

The airline issued an update overnight via social media, thanking the Royal Canadian Air Force for helping ferry the 211passengers of Flight 127 from India to their final destination.

Since Iqaluit was not equipped to house that many unexpected guests, Ottawa gave the green light to use military resources to help the waylaid travellers.

The flight from New Delhi was diverted early Tuesday morning as a precautionary measure.

As for the bomb threat, Air India says it and other airlines have been subject to “a number of threats” recently, which were later found to be hoaxes.

The airline’s update also thanked the Canadian authorities and those at the Iqaluit International Airport for their support and assistance.