India: Chennai Airport on high alert March 16 (bomb threat)

Event

Chennai International Airport (MAA) was placed on high alert on Friday, March 16, following a bomb threat call made to an airline. The threat came a few hours ahead of the scheduled arrival of the vice president and defense minister. The call was made to an airline that operates flights between Chennai (capital of Tamil Nadu state) and Hyderabad (capital of Telengana state). Security has since been stepped up at MAA.

Context

MAA is the fourth busiest airport in India in terms of total passenger traffic, handling over 18 million passengers per year and 400 flights per day.

Advice

Individuals are advised to remain vigilant, report unattended luggage to security staff, and be prepared for increased waiting times at security checkpoints.