Pilot presses hijack alert button by mistake

Passengers on-board a Kingfisher Airlines Mumbai-bound flight had tense moments on Tuesday after the pilot pressed a hijack alarm by mistake.

Passengers on-board a Kingfisher Airlines Mumbai-bound flight had tense moments on Tuesday after the pilot pressed a hijack alarm by mistake.

The incident took place immediately after the Kingfisher flight IT 072 landed at the Mumbai international airport from Hong Kong here.

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The airline, however, said that the crew appeared to have mistakenly triggered a communication alert.

"Shortly after Kingfisher Airlines Flight IT 072 landed at Mumbai Airport from Hong Kong, the crew appeared to have accidentally triggered a communication alert that indicated a hijack situation," a Kingfisher spokesperson said.

The incident happened while a transition was being made from one frequency to another, he said.

"The crew promptly clarified the situation to the authorities and affirmed that all was normal so that any response triggers activated by this alert can be de-escalated," the spokesperson said.

The situation was normal and all passengers were deplaned, he added.