An Air India (Vistara) flight scheduled to travel from Kolkata to Mumbai was placed under a security alert after the pilot informed Air Traffic Control about a slip found inside the aircraft that warned of a possible hijacking before take-off.
All passengers were subsequently asked to disembark, and the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay for security checks. Further details of the incident are awaited.
Earlier bomb threat at Kolkata airport
In an earlier incident in October, a full emergency was declared at Kolkata airport after the words “Bomb inside aircraft” were found written on the mirror of a lavatory on a flight arriving from Phuket.
The cabin crew discovered the message while carrying out cleaning work in the aircraft's washroom after the flight landed in Kolkata. The threat prompted the airport authorities to initiate emergency security procedures.
IndiGo flight returned to Bengaluru after hijack note
Another security incident involved a Lucknow-bound IndiGo flight on November 7. The aircraft made an emergency landing at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru after a handwritten hijack threat was found in the lavatory minutes after take-off.
The note was detected by crew members aboard IndiGo flight 6E-451, which was operating from Bengaluru to Lucknow. A full emergency was declared at the Bengaluru airport, and the pilots turned the aircraft back to its departure point so that the prescribed security checks could be conducted.
IndiGo said that the threat was immediately brought to the attention of the relevant authorities and that the aircraft would resume its journey only after receiving the necessary clearances.
The airline also apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers, stating that refreshments and regular updates were being provided while efforts were made to minimise the disruption.
Follow us
