Sonic Boom Alerts Norfolk: Air India AI129 Flight From Mumbai to London Declares Emergency Over Bomb Threat

Loud sounds were heard across Norfolk as a passenger plane declared an emergency following a "bomb threat". The Air India flight AI129 from Mumbai to London Heathrow issued the alert while flying over Norfolk.

The Air India flight from Mumbai to London Heathrow issued the alert while flying over Norfolk.

It has been reported that RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets were scrambled in response to the emergency, letting out a sonic boom.

Norfolk Constabulary issued a statement which said: "Police can confirm a loud noise heard by residents in the county was a sonic boom caused by RAF aircraft this afternoon and was not an explosion."

"Air India flight- AIC129- from Mumbai to London is squawking 7700, indicating a general emergency. Reason currently unknown", Flightradar posted on X.

Squawk codes are commonly associated with various emergency situations, including emergency landings. Air Traffic Control (ATC) utilizes these codes to identify and monitor aircraft in flight. These unique four-digit numbers, ranging from 0000 to 7777, are assigned specifically to each aircraft. While some squawk codes are generated randomly by ATC, others have designated meanings that correspond to particular scenarios. When an aircraft comes into range, the ATC issues a squawk code that instructs the pilot to activate the aircraft's transponder. This code is then communicated back to ATC via the transponder.

On Thursday, Air India flight AIC129 transmitted squawk code 7700, which is a universal transponder code indicating a general emergency requiring immediate attention from ATC.

This recent incident involving Air India follows a troubling trend, as 14 Indian flights have been compelled to make emergency landings for various reasons, including false bomb threats.

On Wednesday, a security threat was posted on social media concerning a Vistara flight traveling from Frankfurt to Mumbai. After safely landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Thursday morning, the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay for inspection.

Another incident occurred on Thursday involving an IndiGo flight from Istanbul. The airline stated, "Flight 6E 18, operating from Istanbul to Mumbai, received a security-related alert. Upon landing, the aircraft was isolated, and all passengers were safely disembarked."

Two aircraft, one from IndiGo and another from Akasa Air, received bomb threats that were later confirmed to be hoaxes.

The previous day saw seven Indian flights receive bomb threats, leading to at least two of them making emergency landings.