Aircraft in Varanasi Airport Firearm Discharge Identified as VT-BWI Through Flight Tracking Data

The registration of the Air India Express aircraft operating flight IX 1810 has been derived from flight tracking data and has not been confirmed by any official record.

2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 19, 2026, 4:41 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 16, 2026, 11:38 p.m. ETWritten Aug 19, 2026, 4:42 a.m. ET

The aircraft assigned to flight at on August 16, 2026 has been identified as . That registration was derived from flight tracking data rather than stated by any authority, and no official record has yet confirmed it. The identification follows an accidental firearm discharge at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at on August 16, in which screening personnel were injured, according to thehindubusinessline.com. The outlet reported that a passenger, Kamlesh Kedarnath Rai, declared a licensed 7.62 mm pistol with 21 live cartridges at the check-in counter, and that the injured screening staff, Rohit Raj and Suman Kumari, were taken to New Lakshmi Trauma Centre in . Neetu Kadyan, DCP Gomti Zone, said both were in stable condition. The outlet reported that flight operations at the airport continued without disruption and that the passenger has been detained for investigation and further action. The cause has not been determined. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has launched a formal inquiry and is examining the circumstances leading to the incident, including adherence to prescribed procedures for the handling and carriage of licensed weapons at airports, according to thehindubusinessline.com, which also reported that Phulpur police are taking further legal action. Weather observations recorded at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, 12.1 miles away and 60 minutes from the reported time of the incident, show wind from 70 degrees at 4 knots, visibility of 1.86 statute miles with mist, scattered cloud at 10,000 feet and a temperature of 88°F. The measurement is an instrument reading and is not connected to what happened.

Earlier reports

Aug 19, 2026, 4:41 a.m. ETFirst report
Two Screening Staff Injured in Accidental Firearm Discharge at Varanasi Airport
Two airport screening personnel were injured when a licensed firearm discharged accidentally at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi at approximately 9:30 am on 16 August 2026, according to thehindubusinessline.com. The matter is developing and the cause has not been determined.
The outlet reported that a passenger, Kamlesh Kedarnath Rai, declared a licensed 7.62 mm pistol with 21 live cartridges at the Varanasi airport check-in counter for Air India Express flight IX 1810. Two screening personnel, named by the outlet as Rohit Raj and Suman Kumari, were injured and shifted to New Lakshmi Trauma Centre in Varanasi. Neetu Kadyan, Deputy Commissioner of Police for the Gomti Zone, said both injured individuals were in stable condition. The outlet reported that the passenger has been detained for investigation and further action, and that flight operations at the airport continued without disruption.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has launched a formal inquiry and is examining the circumstances leading to the incident, including adherence to prescribed procedures for the handling and carriage of licensed weapons at airports, according to the same report. Phulpur police are taking further legal action.
The aircraft has not been officially identified. Flight tracking data points to the registration VT-BWI, but no official record confirms which airframe was involved.
Weather observations recorded at the airport 60 minutes from the reported time, at a station 12.1 miles away, show wind from 70° at 4 knots, visibility 1.86 statute miles in mist, scattered cloud at 10,000 feet and a temperature of 88°F. The reading is an instrument measurement and is not connected to what happened.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation: 259 ft
Nearest aerodrome: 12 miles SE of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VEBN/VNS)

Sources

BCAS reviews safety protocols, handling norms following accidental firearm discharge at Varanasi airportthehindubusinessline.com

Revision history

Version 119 Aug 2026, 08:42current
First published.
Version 119 Aug 2026, 08:41current
First published.

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