Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 11: An Air India flight from Kolkata to Mumbai was grounded on Wednesday morning and was later rescheduled for departure in the evening as panic gripped Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport after a hijack threat was reported of the flight.
A handwritten threat note referring to a possible hijacking was found inside the aircraft’s lavatory just before take-off. According to initial information, the aircraft AI 2772 was preparing for take-off when the message was spotted. The pilot immediately alerted Air Traffic Control (ATC) about the threat.
Following the alert, all passengers were offloaded from the aircraft, which was subsequently moved to an isolation bay for security checks. Personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and specialised airport security teams conducted a thorough search of the aircraft to check for suspicious objects. However, no suspicious item was found after which the flight was re-scheduled for departure in the evening. It was originally scheduled to take-off at 10.30 AM.
An official at the airport later said the threat was a hoax. According to reports, the aircraft was preparing for take-off when the threatening message on the lavatory mirror was noticed. Upon learning of the incident, the pilot immediately alerted Air Traffic Control (ATC).
The police and security agencies have initiated an investigation to determine who wrote the threatening message and who might be behind it. Authorities reviewed the passenger manifest, as well as footage from CCTV cameras located throughout the airport premises and inside the aircraft.
Investigative agencies also actively looked into the entire matter. Following the determination that it was indeed a hoax, authorities said that the aircraft would depart at 5 pm. It was originally scheduled to depart at 10:30 am.
Earlier in October, a full emergency was declared at the Kolkata airport after a message reading “Bomb inside aircraft” was found written on the mirror of a lavatory on a flight arriving from Phuket. The cabin crew was alarmed when they went to clean the aircraft’s lavatory after the flight from Phuket had landed in Kolkata. The words “Bomb inside aircraft” were found written on the lavatory mirror.
A Lucknow-bound IndiGo flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru on November 7 after a handwritten note with a hijack threat was found inside the lavatory minutes after take-off. The crew members detected the threatening note inside the aircraft (Indigo 6E-451)’s washroom. Following the incident, a full emergency was declared at Bengaluru airport.
Adhering to strict safety protocols, the pilots immediately turned the aircraft back to Bengaluru to initiate security procedures. “A security threat was reported on-board IndiGo flight 6E 451, operating from Bengaluru to Lucknow on November 7, 2026. In line with Standard Operating Procedure, the relevant authorities were informed immediately, and the pilots decided to return to the origin to carry out the necessary security checks, as per protocol,” said the IndiGo spokesperson.