KOLKATA: A Mumbai-bound Air India flight was moved to an isolation bay at Kolkata airport on Wednesday morning after a hijack threat was reported on board minutes before take-off, airport sources said.
Flight AI 772, an Airbus A320neo, was preparing to depart when the threat, reportedly a message written on the mirror of a lavator, was noticed, media reports said. The pilot alerted air traffic control, and the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay where the CISF and airport security began an anti-sabotage sweep.
There were 93 passengers and five crew on board. The passengers were offloaded while the checks were carried out.
The aiport in a statement said, “At 1037 hrs today, a hijack note was found by the cabin crew inside the lavatory of Air India flight AI 2772 (A320, registration VT-TNH), operating on the Kolkata (CCU) – Mumbai (BOM) sector at NSCBI Airport, Kolkata. Necessary checks are currently underway by the concerned agencies as per established protocols", reported HT.
Neither Air India nor the CISF has issued an official statement, and the airline has not confirmed the note or where it was found.
It is the third such scare in under a month: a Lucknow-bound IndiGo flight (6E-451) returned to Bengaluru on 7 November after a note was found in a lavatory and was later cleared as a hoax, and an Air India Frankfurt-Delhi flight was diverted to Jaipur on 14 October after a hijack alert.
(With inputs from PTI and media reports)