SINGAPORE AIRLINES Flight 61, the Boeing 777 with 262 passengers and crew onboard that received a bomb threat on Sunday, was forced to remain airborne for 3 hours after the Captain was alerted of the threat. The Pilot of Flight 61, Johny Alberto, said they were somewhere over Amritsar when he received the LASP (land as soon as possible) message from Moscow air traffic control. His 1st option was to touch down at Delhi, the nearest Airport. But as the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony was in progress, permission was denied and the aircraft directed to Kolkata, nearly 3 hours away. According to the Pilot, the journey to Kolkata was the longest of their lives. When the plane finally landed in Kolkata at 11:43pm, Alberto heaved a sigh of relief. All along, the only thought that was haunting him was "what if". "Had there been a bomb onboard the plane and had it exploded before reaching Kolkata, the authorities in Delhi would have had a lot to answer for. Though a Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) had been issued in view of the high security and restrictions for the games opening ceremony, an emergency landing should have been allowed," said the Captain. According to former director general of the DGCA, an emergency situation like this requires the Pilot to land as soon as possible at the nearest available Airport at which a safe approach and landing is assured. Veteran Pilots felt the NOTAM, issued to ensure that there was no panic among foreign participants and delegates at games, could have been extremely embarrassing for the entire nation had a mishap occurred with Flight 61. The DGCA is investigating the entire incident.
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