A stray fox forced an incoming IndiGo passenger jet into an abrupt go-around over Kolkata on Wednesday, aborting a touchdown seconds before wheel contact.
The pilot pulled up immediately.
Air Traffic Control routed the flight, which originated in Chennai, away from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport after the cockpit crew caught sight of the animal cutting across the tarmac. Controllers promptly instructed the aircraft to climb away and enter a holding pattern before clearing it to divert approximately 170 kilometres northwest. The jet touched down safely at Andal Airport in Durgapur.
Runway wildlife incursions pose lethal risks to commercial aircraft, capable of shattering landing gear or disabling turbofan engines during the critical seconds of deceleration.
The runway intrusion compounded a day of rolling operational chaos at the airport.
Hours before the animal breached the tarmac on Wednesday morning, ground security teams scrambled to intercept a Mumbai-bound Air India flight preparing for takeoff. A passenger or crew member found a handwritten message scribbled onto a lavatory mirror threatening a mid-air hijacking.
The crew sounded the alarm.
Air Traffic Control directed the aircraft off the active taxiway and ushered it straight into a remote isolation bay. Teams from the Central Industrial Security Force alongside bomb disposal and specialized aviation security personnel cordoned off the jetliner, launching an exhaustive physical sweep of the passenger cabin, overhead compartments, and underfloor cargo holds.
Inspectors declared the threat a hoax after hours of forensic screening yielded no weapons or explosives.
| Operational Parameter | IndiGo Incident | Air India Incident |
|---|---|---|
| Origin / Destination | Chennai to Kolkata | Kolkata to Mumbai |
| Nature of Disruption | Runway wildlife incursion (fox) | Lavatory hijack note (hoax) |
| Operational Action | Go-around ordered; diverted to Andal Airport | Escorted to isolation bay; full search |
| Schedule Impact | Landed safely at Durgapur | 10:30 am departure rescheduled to 5:00 pm |
| Primary Agency Involved |
The Air India aircraft, originally scheduled to depart Kolkata at 10:30 am, remained grounded on the tarmac for nearly seven hours before security agencies cleared it to leave at 5:00 pm. Airport police and aviation intelligence personnel have opened a formal investigation to identify the passenger who penned the hoax threat on the mirror.
| Air Traffic Control (ATC) |
| CISF & Aviation Security Units |