IndiGo A320 Bomb Threat Leads To Messy Evacuation

An IndiGo aircraft underwent an emergency evacuation in India this morning, following a bomb threat. While everyone evacuated safely, I think some IndiGo crew members may need a refresher when it comes to the correct evacuation procedures…

IndiGo aircraft evacuated due to bomb threat

This incident happened today (Tuesday, May 28, 2024), and involves IndiGo flight 6E2211, scheduled to operate the 5AM service from Delhi (DEL) to Varanasi (VNS). The aircraft in question was a 16-year-old Airbus A320 with the registration code 9H-SLD.

According to police, just prior to takeoff, a note was found in the aircraft’s lavatory, with “[email protected]” written on it. As a result, the decision was made to taxi the aircraft to a remote part of the airport, and evacuate via emergency slides. A search of the aircraft later found no credible threat. The flight ended up operating, but with a delay of over six hours.

Here’s how IndiGo described this incident in a statement:

“IndiGo flight 6E2211 operating from Delhi to Varanasi had received a specific bomb threat at Delhi airport at 5.35 am. All necessary protocols were followed and aircraft was taken to a remote bay as per guidelines by airport security agencies. All passengers were safely evacuated via the emergency exits. The flight is currently undergoing inspection. Post completion of all security checks, the aircraft will be positioned back in the terminal area.”

I know airlines have to follow certain procedures, but I can’t help but think that evacuating an aircraft via slides simply because a non-specific note was found in the lavatory increases overall risk, in terms of the potential for injury.

The IndiGo crew’s mixed performance

As you’d expect, in the event of an emergency evacuation, it’s the crew’s job to assist passengers, and to lead by example. Unfortunately the crew’s evacuation behavior can be described as a mixed bag at best. On the one hand, you see one crew member assisting passengers with limited mobility to get on the slide from over the wing. Well done to her.

On the other hand, you see multiple crew members not leaving their carry-on items behind as they evacuate. It doesn’t matter what airline you fly, the evacuation policies are the same — in an emergency evacuation, leave all carry-on items behind. Period.

Now, most of the time when we see planes evacuate, a certain percentage of passengers ignore those instructions, and still take their carry-ons. That’s a shame, because it can delay the evacuation, and lead to injuries for other passengers.

Unfortunately in this case, multiple crew members didn’t follow the correct policies. For example, one of the flight attendants evacuated with her full size carry-on, while one of the pilots evacuated with a smaller bag.