Arrested for uttering 'bomb' on-board: Man held on Vistara plane after co-passenger alerts crew

A man who was headed to Dubai was detained on Thursday at Indira Gandhi International Airport after another traveller overheard him using the word "bomb" while on call with someone else.

A male traveller talking on the phone with someone on the other end overheard saying, "CISF removed coconut from my bag fearing it could be a bomb but allowed guthkha that was in my bag."

A senior official revealed that a passenger was taking a connecting flight from Mumbai to Dubai through Vistara Airlines flight number UK-941 (Delhi to Mumbai), which was scheduled for departure at 4.55 p.m.

“The passenger travelling to Dubai for the job was talking to his mother on the phone and the conversation was overheard by a lady co-passenger sitting next to him. He told his mother that CISF not allowed coconut in his bag fearing it could be a bomb but they allowed pan masala that was kept in his bag,” said the official.

The female co-passenger raised an alarm when she heard the word bomb, and the flight crew alerted CISF, as reported by ANI.

The woman boarded the aircraft freely after the passenger did. Despite a thorough search of the whole aircraft, nothing was discovered. Her travelling companion declined to get on the aircraft, so the woman purchased another ticket for Mumbai.

“In the process, the flight was delayed for two hours before it got clearance to take off. The male passenger was handed over to IGI police,” the official said.

The IGI police said that a case had been filed.

No uniform for Vistara cabin crew

An increase in workforce and supply issues have given Indian airline Vistara a new problem: a lack of cabin crew uniforms.

Also watch |Air India, Vistara merger kickstarts

"Vistara is experiencing limited availability of its cabin crew uniforms," the carrier, a joint venture between Tata Sons Pvt Ltd. and Singapore Airlines Ltd., said on its Twitter account in a post titled "Important Update." It cited an "unforeseen issue" with the supply of material.

It stated that certain cabin staff will have to forgo the customary aubergine-colored tunics in favour of black pants and polo t-shirts with the Vistara logo, calling the decision "not an ideal measure."

The worldwide aviation sector has suffered with a variety of shortages, from new aircraft and engines to flight crew and luggage handlers, as travel demand quickly recovered from the pandemic's lows.

Vistara, which is merging with Air India Ltd., stated that it was actively coordinating with suppliers to find a solution and that its priority was still "delivering world-class customer service."

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: