A hijack threat on a Mumbai-bound Air India flight at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport on Wednesday triggered a security alert, prompting authorities to move the aircraft to an isolation bay and launch an extensive search, news agency IANS reported.
The threat was received as the aircraft was preparing for take-off, following which the pilot immediately alerted the Air Traffic Control (ATC), officials said.
The aircraft was subsequently moved to an isolation bay on the instructions of ATC, and security personnel began searching the plane. As per the latest information available, no suspicious object had been detected during the search.
Airport authorities had not issued an official statement on the incident at the time of filing this report.
According to sources, the Air India flight, carrying 92 passengers, was awaiting take-off when the pilot was alerted to the threat.
As per preliminary information, a note warning that the aircraft would be hijacked was reportedly found in the flight’s toilet. The person who spotted the note alerted the authorities, following which security protocols were activated.
The passengers were subsequently disembarked and moved to a safe location as security personnel carried out checks on the aircraft. The incident reportedly left passengers frightened, with visible panic following the threat.
Kolkata Airport had received two bomb threats last month
The latest incident comes weeks after Kolkata Airport received two consecutive bomb threats in October, both of which were later found to be hoaxes.
On October 23, a bomb threat written on a piece of tissue paper was found at the airport, triggering a security alert.
A day later, on October 24, a bomb threat written on the washroom mirror of an IndiGo flight travelling from Thailand’s Phuket to Kolkata led to an extensive security check.
However, nothing suspicious was detected in either incident, and both threats were subsequently declared hoaxes.
Air India flight diverted to Jaipur after hijack alert last month
In a similar incident on October 14, an Air India flight from Frankfurt to Delhi was diverted to Jaipur after Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control (ATC) reportedly received a hijack alert from the aircraft. The flight made an emergency landing at Jaipur International Airport at around 9.45 am, following which passengers were deboarded and security agencies conducted extensive checks.
The aircraft, which was carrying approximately 300 passengers, was moved to an isolation bay for inspection by security personnel, including a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) team. After around two and a half hours of checks, no suspicious objects were found on board and the aircraft was cleared to continue its journey to Delhi.
The cause of the alert remained under investigation. Preliminary reports suggested that it could have been triggered accidentally when the pilot pressed the designated alert button or due to a technical or system error. However, the pilot reportedly denied accidentally pressing the button during questioning. No official confirmation on the cause had been issued at the time of reporting.
(With IANS inputs)
