London/Hyderabad, Jun 16 (PTI) – A dramatic incident unfolded mid-air as a Lufthansa flight en route to Hyderabad was compelled to make an emergency U-turn and return to Frankfurt Airport due to a bomb threat, the airline reported on Monday.
Flight LH752 had departed from Germany at approximately 14:14 local time on Sunday, with its arrival scheduled at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport early Monday. However, data from flight tracking platforms indicated a diversion just a few hours into the journey.
Lufthansa assured that all passengers were provided with overnight accommodation in Frankfurt and were set to resume their travel to Hyderabad on Monday morning.
"In response to a bomb threat reported on social media, Lufthansa flight LH752 from Frankfurt to Hyderabad returned to its departure point as a precautionary measure," the airline's statement read. "The safety of our passengers and crew is Lufthansa's utmost priority. Passengers affected by this incident have received accommodation in Frankfurt, and they will continue their journey to Hyderabad today," it added.
Meanwhile, officials at Hyderabad airport disclosed on Monday that a bomb threat email concerning Lufthansa flight LH752 was received at Hyderabad Airport at 18:01 hrs on June 15, 2025. A bomb threat assessment committee was promptly convened, and all necessary measures were taken in accordance with standard protocols. For safety reasons, the airline was advised to divert the aircraft back to its origin or to the nearest suitable airport.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner’s unexpected mid-air return occurred around the same time as another incident involving a Chennai-bound British Airways Flight BA35, also a Dreamliner, which returned to London Heathrow Airport on Sunday due to a "technical issue."
"The aircraft returned to Heathrow as a standard precaution following reports of a technical issue," British Airways stated. "The flight landed safely with the crew and passengers disembarking as they normally would, and our teams worked diligently to resume their journeys as soon as possible," the statement continued.
Airline sources noted that while this was an emergency landing, it is "not unusual" for an aircraft to return to its point of departure if any technical concerns arise.
On the Lufthansa flight, a passenger en route to Hyderabad shared with PTI from Frankfurt Airport that they were informed, "Hyderabad hasn’t given permission to land the flight there." Another passenger, traveling from the US to visit her mother in Hyderabad, remarked, "It was a smooth flight, and after about two hours in the air, we were informed that we would be returning to Frankfurt."
A spokesperson from Frankfurt Airport confirmed that LH752 had indeed landed back in Germany. Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport also received a notification that the flight had commenced its return to Frankfurt shortly after its initial departure from the German hub.
This bomb scare involving the Hyderabad-bound flight follows a previous incident where a Delhi-bound Air India Airbus A320 had to make an emergency return to Phuket Airport in Thailand on Friday amid a bomb threat.
In a tragic aviation-related event, Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday, resulting in all but one of its 242 passengers and crew members losing their lives. The disaster's death toll rose to 270 over the weekend after the aircraft plummeted into an inhabited section of the city.
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