Kolkata-Mumbai Air India flight moved to isolation bay after cabin crew discovers hijack threat note

UPDATE - follow-up to Hijack threat note found in Kolkata-Mumbai Air India flight; aircraft taken to isolation bay: All passengers on board the Mumbai-bound Air India flight have been safely deboarded after a hijack threat note was discovered in the aircraft washroom before departure from Kolkata on Wednesday morning.

Threat Details

The Mumbai-bound aircraft was scheduled to depart at 10:20 a.m. when the note threatening that the plane would be hijacked at 11:10 a.m. was found by cabin crew members in a lavatory, according to Kolkata airport director Vikram Singh. Hindustan Times reported that the flight number is AI 2772, operating on the Kolkata to Mumbai sector with 147 passengers on board, and that the alert was written on a toilet mirror, possibly using lipstick.

Security Response

Following the discovery, security protocols were immediately activated and the plane was taken to an isolation bay for a thorough inspection and precautionary measures. Security personnel, fire brigade teams, and members of the bomb squad were deployed to search the area as part of standard procedure.

Context

Security protocols for commercial aviation mandate immediate isolation and comprehensive searches whenever a direct threat is detected inside an aircraft. Airports maintain dedicated isolation bays precisely to keep passengers and terminal infrastructure safe while specialized agencies examine the aircraft.