Hoax Bomb Call Causes Moscow-Goa Flight to Make Unexpected Stop in Uzbekistan

Goa-bound passengers from Moscow had a harrowing time on Saturday when their flight was diverted to Uzbekistan due to a hoax bomb threat. The Azur Air flight AZV2463 was scheduled to land at Dabolim Airport in South Goa at 4.15 am. It was diverted to Uzbekistan after authorities received an email claiming that a bomb had been planted on the plane.

The flight, which was carrying 240 passengers and seven crew members, was diverted before it entered Indian airspace. After the threat mail was received, the Dabolim airport was put on alert, and personnel from the Goa Police, Quick Response Team (QRT), Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), and dog squad were deployed at the facility as a precautionary measure.

This is the second such incident in less than two weeks on the Moscow-Goa route involving Azur Air. On January 9, another Moscow-to-Goa flight had to make an emergency landing at Gujarat’s Jamnagar airport following a bomb threat. In the January 9 incident, the threat mail was received by Azur Air’s office in Russia, while this time it was received by the office of the Dabolim airport director.

The passengers of the diverted flight were kept in Uzbekistan until the hoax was confirmed and were later allowed to continue their journey to Goa. The police are currently investigating the source of the hoax bomb threat and a complaint has been lodged in connection with the incident.

This unfortunate incident highlights the need for heightened security measures at airports, especially for international flights. Airlines should take more stringent measures to ensure the safety of their passengers, such as increasing security checks and conducting thorough background checks of passengers before they board the plane.