Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 16 (ANI): After smoke was detected from a Saudia Airlines plane that landed at Lucknow airport, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) rushed to the spot and made sure that the smoke was contained and damage to the aircraft averted, Lucknow airport officials said on Monday.

According to officials, no injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred on the morning of June 15. The passengers were safely deboarded, and there was no impact on airport operations.

The flight was returning from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, carrying Hajj pilgrims. Smoke and sparks were detected on the plane's wheels shortly after it landed and while it was on the taxiway.

'On the morning of 15th June, smoke was detected from the wheels of a Saudia Airlines aircraft that landed at Lucknow airport from Jeddah. The Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) team rushed to the spot. Working with the Saudia team, the smoke was contained and damage to the aircraft was averted. The passengers were deboarded safely and there was no impact on airport operations,' the official said.

This year, the Hajj was performed between June 4 and June 9 in Saudi Arabia. The first batch of annual Hajj pilgrims from India started from early May itself. According to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, a total of 1,22,518 hajj pilgrims undertook the sacred journey, with the first flights taking off from Lucknow and Hyderabad itself.

Earlier, in a separate incident from Hyderabad, a Lufthansa flight was forced to make a U-turn and return to Frankfurt airport after a bomb threat was received by airport authorities.

Following the incident, a bomb threat assessment committee has been formed as per Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

According to official sources, the Hyderabad-bound Lufthansa flight took off from Frankfurt on June 15 and was supposed to reach its destination early this morning. However, after an email was received at Hyderabad airport about targeting the flight with a bomb at 6:01 PM on June 15, out of an abundance of caution, the flight was advised to return. Lufthansa spokesperson said that the passengers were provided accommodation as they departed for Hyderabad today.

The airline spokesperson said, 'Out of an abundance of caution, Lufthansa flight LH752 from Frankfurt to Hyderabad returned to its point of departure after authorities were made aware of a bomb threat posted on social media,' the spokesperson said, adding further, 'The safety of our passengers and crew is Lufthansa's highest priority. Affected passengers were provided with accommodation in Frankfurt and will be continuing their journey to Hyderabad today.' (ANI)