An Air India flight which was ready for take-off was moved to an isolation bay at the airport after a threatening message was found inside the aircraft’s lavatory.
The flight, AI 772, an Airbus A320neo, was carrying about 93 passengers and five crew members on board as it prepared for take-off from Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Wednesday when the pilot alerted Air Traffic Control.
According to sources, the message was written on the lavatory mirror and was discovered before take-off.
The passengers were offloaded, and the aircraft was taken to the isolation bay.
Security agencies have responded to the threat. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and specialised airport security personnel launched an intensive search operation. The aircraft is being thoroughly examined to detect the presence of any suspicious items.
An investigation is underway to determine who wrote the threatening message and who may be behind it.
CCTV footage from the airport premises and inside the aircraft is also being scanned.
Earlier in October, a similar full emergency was declared after a message which read 'Bomb inside craft' was found written on the mirror of a lavatory on a flight arriving from Phuket. The cabin crew found the message when they went to clean the lavatory.
