A male passenger from West Bengal's Murshidabad was apprehended in connection with the hijack threat to a Kolkata-Mumbai Air India flight that triggered a security scare at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Bengal's capital city on Wednesday. The man told investigators that he made the hoax threat to avoid travelling abroad for work so he could stay with his ailing wife, officials said.
The incident involved Air India flight AI 2772, an Airbus A320 (VT-TNH), which was scheduled to depart for Mumbai on Wednesday morning. A handwritten note warning of a hijack was found in the aircraft's lavatory by the cabin crew around 10.37am. The note warned that the aircraft would be hijacked at 11.10am.
Handwriting matches threat note
"The passenger who was to fly to Mumbai was handed over to the airport police after his handwriting was matched with that on the threat note," one of the officials in the know of the development told HT.
The Air Traffic Control (ATC) was immediately informed, following which security agencies initiated mandatory checks. The aircraft was moved to an isolation bay and all 105 passengers and seven crew members were deboarded.
Security personnel thoroughly searched the aircraft to rule out any potential threat, an airport official said, adding that the concerned agencies carried out the necessary checks as per established protocols.
{{/usCountry}}Security personnel thoroughly searched the aircraft to rule out any potential threat, an airport official said, adding that the concerned agencies carried out the necessary checks as per established protocols.
{{/usCountry}}The Airports Authority of India (AAI), on Wednesday said that after all necessary checks and that the aircraft eventually took off for Mumbai at 5.38pm. The threat was subsequently declared a hoax.
"The passenger had admitted that he had written the threat note," a second official said.
An AAI official confirmed the development said said, "A passenger had been apprehended in connection with the incident and handed over to the NSCBI Airport Police Station."
The man is a resident of Sodepur in North 24 Parganas and was working in a private company. Interrogation revealed that he was being sent abroad by his company but was reluctant to go as his wife was ailing.
“During questioning the man told airport security officials that he was reluctant to leave for abroad as his wife was ailing. Hence, he left a note in the aircraft’s lavatory stating that it would be hijacked at around 11:11 am,” said an official.
The Kolkata incident comes less than a month after two other flights faced hijack scares.
On November 7, an IndiGo flight (6E 451) from Bengaluru to Lucknow returned to Bengaluru after a passenger found a threat note inside the aircraft's lavatory. The note warned that the plane would be hijacked at 6.30am, prompting the pilots to turn back in accordance with standard operating procedures. A full emergency was declared at Bengaluru airport and security checks were carried out. The threat was later declared a hoax, and the flight resumed its journey after receiving the requisite clearances.
Earlier, on October 14, an Air India flight operating from Frankfurt to Delhi was diverted to Jaipur following a suspected hijack alert. The aircraft landed safely and passengers were deboarded for security checks. It had transmitted Squawk Code 7500, the internationally recognised code for hijacking or unlawful interference, prompting an emergency response. The alert was subsequently reported to be false, and a possible technical glitch is being examined.