An IndiGo flight bound from Delhi to Pune was thrown into security shock on Thursday night, January 22, after the crew found the airplane’s lavatory to contain a written threat of an explosive. This is the second such threat against the carrier in the space of a week.
The flight, 6E 2608, landed safely at Pune airport around 9:24 PM, about 44 minutes behind schedule. All passengers and cabin crew were evacuated safely in accordance with security procedures.
Handwritten note triggers emergency procedure
This threat was detected through a handwritten message discovered inside the toilet cabin. On receiving this alert, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) promptly alerted the Apron Control.
The aircraft was immediately relocated to an isolated hangar where a meeting of the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC), whose members assessed this scenario, took place. The security organizations, including the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), carried out a meticulous search of the plane’s cabin and cargo area.
IndiGo statement: ‘Safety is topmost priority’
IndiGo confirmed the security threat in its statement and also commended the authorities on their cooperative efforts.
“A security threat was noticed onboard IndiGo flight 6E 2608 operating from Delhi to Pune on 22 January. Following the established protocol, we informed the relevant authorities immediately and are fully cooperating with them. All our customers and crew disembarked safely,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.
After conducting the thorough inspection over the course of hours, the officials announced the case to be a hoax as suspicious objects were not found in the aircraft.
Second hoax in five days
This situation bears comparison to an earlier one that occurred when an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Bagdogra was forced to divert to Lucknow after a similar message was received; this message had also been scribbled on a tissue paper and found in the plane lavatory on January 18.
This message also proved to be a ruse. The authorities are now looking for possible links between the two cases and have also started to investigate who wrote the note on the Pune-bound aircraft.
