The Airports Authority of India said cabin crew discovered a hijack note inside the lavatory of Air India flight AI 2772 at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at 10:37 a.m. on Wednesday. The Airbus A320, registered VT-TNH, was operating the Kolkata–Mumbai sector.
The flight had been scheduled to depart at 10:20 a.m., and the note warned that the aircraft would be hijacked at 11:10 a.m., Kolkata airport director Vikram Singh told the Press Trust of India. All passengers who had boarded were deboarded, and the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay, he said, adding that security protocols were immediately activated and a thorough check of the aircraft was being carried out.
IANS reported that the pilot was told of the threat as the flight was preparing for take-off and immediately alerted Air Traffic Control. Acting on instructions from Air Traffic Control, the pilot moved the aircraft to the isolation bay, and the passengers were disembarked and taken to a safe place, IANS said. Security personnel began search operations inside the aircraft, and nothing suspicious had been detected at that stage.
The Airports Authority of India said the concerned agencies were carrying out the necessary checks in accordance with established protocols. Further details about the threat and the outcome of the security checks were awaited.