A Mumbai-bound Air India flight was halted before takeoff at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on Wednesday, following a hijack threat. The pilot reportedly informed air traffic control about a note found on a paper slip indicating a potential hijacking at 11:10 am. All passengers were de-boarded, and the plane was moved to an isolation bay for a thorough security inspection.
Sources told India Today TV that the threatening note was discovered in the aircraft's lavatory, prompting the flight crew to alert the air traffic control tower about it. The Kolkata-Mumbai flight had been scheduled to depart at 10:20 am. According to airport officials, this is not the first such incident; an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Chennai received a bomb threat last month, which was later declared a hoax by authorities.
Vikram Singh, director of Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, reportedly confirmed that the note warned about the plane being hijacked at 11:10 am, as per news agency PTI. Earlier incidents like this are rare but not unheard of, causing concern among passengers and airport authorities alike. The investigation into these threats is ongoing to ensure the safety and security of all travelers.