Hijack alert on Mumbai-bound Air India flight at Kolkata airport; plane moved to bay
A threatening message was reportedly found written on a washroom mirror aboard Air India flight AI 772 before take-off, prompting the pilot to alert ATC
A hijack alert was triggered on a Mumbai-bound Air India flight at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Wednesday (November 11) morning, shortly before its scheduled departure. The pilot alerted Air Traffic Control (ATC) after the message came to the crew's attention. Subsequently, the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay.
According to sources, a message related to a hijacking was found written on a mirror in the aircraft's washroom.
Crew spots hijack message before take-off
The incident reportedly took place around 10.20 am, according to an airport police officer quoted by Hindustan Times. The cabin crew reportedly spotted the message while the aircraft was preparing for take-off.
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"The incident happened around 10.20 am. The pilot of Flight AI 772 was preparing for takeoff when the cabin crew members noticed a hijack alert written on a toilet mirror, possibly with a lipstick," the airport police officer said.
What airport director said
The flight was scheduled to depart at 10.20 am. The note threatening that the plane would be hijacked at 11.10 am was found in the washroom just before the departure of the flight, Kolkata airport director Vikram Singh said.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), airport security personnel, fire brigade staff and a bomb squad were deployed at the site. Passengers were asked to leave the aircraft while security personnel carried out checks.
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"Security, fire brigade personnel and members of the bomb squad have been deployed to search the airport as part of normal procedure. The passengers have been taken out of their aircraft," the officer added.
Police examine CCTV footage to trace sender
Police and other security agencies have begun efforts to identify who wrote the message. CCTV footage from the airport premises and the aircraft is being checked as part of the inquiry.
Air India flight AI 772 was moved to the isolation bay after passengers and crew were deboarded. CISF personnel, firefighters and a bomb disposal squad were deployed to conduct a thorough search of the aircraft. The search has so far yielded no suspicious findings.
(With agency inputs)