Flying Getting Unsafe? 5 Aircraft Tragedies Averted in 72 Hours

Aircraft Tragedies: 3 of the 5 incidents were reported on June 15, one incident was reported today another incident was reported on June 14.

Is flying getting a little unsafe? While we are still trying to come to terms with the ghastly Ahmedabad plane crash that killed 274 people including 241 who were on board and 33 on the ground, 5 plane tragedies have been averted in the last 72 hours. Technical issues and bomb scare forced the landing or urgent safe evacuation of passengers of aircrafts operated by Indian and global airlines.

Three of the five incidents were reported on June 15, one incident was reported today another incident was reported on June 14.

On June 16, an Air India flight en route from Hong Kong to Delhi was forced to turn back after the pilot reported a suspected technical issue mid-air.

“AI315 operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on 16 June 2025, air-returned to Hong Kong shortly after take off due to a technical issue. The flight landed safely at Hong Kong and is undergoing checks as a matter of abundant precaution,” Air India said in statement.

On June 15, a Lufthansa flight enroute to Hyderabad from Frankfurt was forced to return to its place of origin (Frankfurt) following a bomb threat, prompting a full-scale security response. The flight, LH 752, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, departed Frankfurt Airport around 6 p.m. According to flight tracking data, the aircraft had been airborne for nearly two hours and was flying over Bulgarian airspace when it made a U-turn and was flown back to Frankfurt.

The aircraft was supposed to arrive at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at approximately 1.20 a.m. on Monday (June 16, 2025).

A bomb threat email targeting the Lufthansa flight was received at the Hyderabad airport at 6:01 p.m on June 15. Bomb threat assessment committee was formed and all procedures were followed as per SOP. In the interest of safety of the passengers and the crew, the airline was advised to divert back to the origin or the nearest suitable airport, said a statement from Hyderabad airport.

Same day, a British Airways (BA) flight BA35, also a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, made a precautionary return to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) after experiencing a technical issue enroute to Chennai.

The Chennai-bound flight, which had departed from London’s Heathrow Airport, circled over the Strait of Dover before safely landing back at the Heathrow airport. British Airways confirmed there was no emergency landing, and the return followed standard safety procedures.Flight BA35, operated by British Airways, took off from Heathrow Airport (LHR) at 1:16 PM local time after a short delay.

“Alternative arrangements have been planned to fly the passengers to their destination, Delhi at the earliest. We are providing all necessary on-ground assistance to the passengers to minimize the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption,” British Airways added.

On June 15, a Saudi Airlines flight from Jeddah sparked a brief scare at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport after smoke was seen coming from the aircraft’s wheels shortly after landing.The incident occurred as the Flight SV 312 was touching down with 250 passengers including Haj pilgrims. The ground staff immediately called in the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) team, which responded swiftly to the situation. Working in coordination with the Saudi technical crew, the emergency response team managed to contain the smoke before it could cause any damage to the aircraft. Airport authorities confirmed that all passengers were safely disembarked and there was no disruption to regular flight operations.

On June 14, an Air India Express flight IX-1226 from Guwahati to Kolkata was delayed by 18 hours after the aircraft was grounded twice due to a technical snag.

And on June 15, a helicopter ferrying pilgrims from Kedarnath temple crashed near Guptkashi killing all 7 people onboard, including the 37-year old pilot who was an army veteran and a 2-year-old child.

Also Read: Mid-Air Scare: Within Minutes of Takeoff, Air India Dreamliner Returns to Hong-Kong Due to Technical Snag

COMMENTS