Security personnel halted a Mumbai-bound Air India flight on the tarmac at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Wednesday morning after a hijack threat was discovered scribbled across a lavatory mirror moments before departure.
Crew members spotted the threatening message while the aircraft completed final pre-flight checks and taxied toward the active runway. The captain alerted Air Traffic Control immediately. Controllers halted the rollout without delay, ordering the airliner off the main taxiway and guiding it to an isolated bay away from the active terminal complex.
The aircraft sat cordoned under tight armed guard within minutes. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) quick reaction units and specialized airport bomb detection and disposal teams rushed onto the apron, launching a systematic search of the cabin, galleys, luggage holds, and mechanical compartments to locate any potential explosive or suspicious item.
Airport authorities isolated the aircraft under standard aviation counter-terror contingency procedures. Security teams systematically evacuated passengers and crew to screen baggage through secondary X-ray checkpoints while sniffer dog squads inspected every row of seating and ceiling cavity.
| Incident Parameter | Official Status |
|---|---|
| Flight Route | Kolkata (CCU) to Mumbai (BOM) |
| Carrier | Air India |
| Incident Location | Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata |
| Primary Threat | Hijack note written on lavatory mirror |
| Responding Agencies | Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Kolkata Police |
|---|---|
| Current Protocol | Full isolation bay inspection and CCTV forensic audit |
Police officials and central intelligence agencies opened a joint probe to determine who wrote the warning and whether an accomplice boarded the flight. Aviation security officers seized the aircraft's internal surveillance logs and began reviewing terminal CCTV footage from the departure gate, security frisking lanes, and boarding bridges to pinpoint every individual who entered the lavatory prior to engine start.
No suspicious devices were immediately recovered during the initial sweeps, but the aircraft remains grounded in the isolation bay pending full physical clearance and formal statements from airline staff.