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.

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 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.