World
Hoax Hijack Threat and Runway Fox Disrupt Kolkata Airport Operations
Passengers faced major disruptions after an Air India flight received a false threat and an IndiGo plane was diverted due to an animal.
By Headlinne · Compiled from reporting by New Indian Express, NDTV and Hindu
Passengers at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport experienced major delays on Wednesday after a false hijack threat grounded a Mumbai-bound flight and a wild animal forced the diversion of an incoming aircraft.
The disruptions involved Air India flight AI 2772 and IndiGo flight 6E 986, both operating through the Kolkata airport during a chaotic day of separate aviation security and safety incidents.
Airports maintain strict protocols for security threats and runway obstructions to protect passengers and crew members from potential disasters during takeoffs and landings.
The cabin crew discovered a handwritten threat note inside the lavatory of the Air India aircraft at 10.37 am, according to Kolkata airport director Vikram Singh.
Singh said the note warned that the aircraft would be hijacked at 11.10 am, prompting immediate action from airport authorities.
The plane, which carried 105 passengers, was moved to an isolation bay where all travelers were deboarded for comprehensive security screenings.
Security agencies searched all compartments and luggage hold areas, later determining that the warning was entirely false.
The flight eventually departed for Mumbai at 5.38 pm, marking a delay of nearly seven hours.
Earlier reports stated that the threatening message was found written on a mirror inside one of the aircraft lavatories.
In a separate incident later in the day, an IndiGo flight arriving from Chennai was diverted just moments before touching down in Kolkata.
The captain spotted a fox on the runway and immediately notified Air Traffic Control, which directed the plane to go around.
The flight then landed safely at Andal Airport in Durgapur at 6.35 pm before eventually returning to Kolkata later that night.
Authorities have initiated a formal investigation to determine who wrote the threatening message found on the Air India flight.
Reporting from
- The New Indian Express
Hijack threat to Kolkata-Mumbai Air India flight turns out to be hoax; aircraft takes off after seven-hour delay
- NDTVNot politically framed
Fox On The Runway In Kolkata, IndiGo Flight Diverted Just Before Landing
- The HinduNot politically framed
Fox on runway and hijack alert, passengers had a harrowing time at Kolkata Airport
How this article was made: Headlinne wrote it with AI from the 3 reports listed above. Direct quotes are checked word for word against those reports, every number appears in at least one of them, and no other sentence is copied from one. Photos are from those reports and credited to them. Each report’s page on Headlinne links to the outlet’s original.