Panic at Bhopal airport after operator mishears ballast as blast

Panic erupted at Bhopal’s Raja Bhoj International Airport on Thursday morning after an IndiGo airline employee misheard “ballast” as “blast” during a call pertaining to a flight, officials said.

Updated on: Sep 9, 2022, 24:06:56 IST

By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Panic erupted at Bhopal’s Raja Bhoj International Airport on Thursday morning after an IndiGo airline employee misheard “ballast” as “blast” during a call pertaining to a flight, officials said.

The employee at Bhopal airport mistook the word to be “blast” and immediately alerted the control room of CISF, officials said. (File/Representational)

The IndiGo employee, airport officials said, claimed to have received a call at the ticketing counter, enquiring about a “ballast” on flight 6E 7931, that travels from Hyderabad to Agra via Bhopal.

Ballasts are extra loads which are used to balance the weight of an aircraft.

The employee, however, mistook the word to be “blast” and immediately alerted the control room of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the officials added.

Subsequently, the passengers were made to deboard the flight at the airport. “The aircraft was searched and no explosives were found,” Man Singh, deputy commandant, CISF, said.

As emergency measures were enforced, automatic bollards at the driveway of the airport, meant to prevent unauthorized exit, were activated. One person was injured after his vehicle crashed into one of these bollards, officials said, adding he was rushed to hospital for treatment.

“Airport management regrets the inconvenience and damage caused due to this unfortunate event,” the airport said in a statement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.