Kolkata: An IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Mumbai was evacuated and taken to the isolation bay minutes before take off on Tuesday afternoon, after a bomb alert. A passenger has been detained in this connection.
The incident comes barely a couple of days after a bomb scare on a Silchar-Kolkata IndiGo flight on Sunday afternoon. In that case, cabin crew found a chit, with the word ‘bomb’ written on it, inside one of the washrooms of the aircraft. This happened minutes before the plane was to land in Kolkata.
In Tuesday’s incident, a passenger from Imphal in Manipur, with a stopover in Kolkata, was boarding the flight that was to depart at 1.30 pm. It seems that the 26-year-old man was peeved at a second round of security checks being carried out by airline personnel at the stepladder point.
After his hand baggage was subjected to checks and he was frisked, the man apparently blurted out that he was carrying a bomb. This raised red flags and the entire security mechanism was activated.
“The passenger’s claim was declared specific, security was beefed up, and standard operating procedure (SOP) implemented,” an official said.
The passenger arrived in Kolkata by an IndiGo flight and was supposed to take another flight of the same airline to Mumbai. Out of the total of 186 passengers who were supposed to take the flight to Mumbai from Kolkata, 179 had already boarded, the official added.
“The flight was supposed to depart for Mumbai at 1.30 pm, but it was delayed as the aircraft was vacated and taken to the isolation bay for a thorough check,” he said.
In a statement, the airline said: “IndiGo flight 6E 5227 operating from Kolkata to Mumbai received a bomb threat prior to departure. In accordance with security protocols, the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay at Kolkata airport. All necessary checks were conducted, and the standard operating procedures were followed.”
The aircraft was cleared for take-off after a thorough search. Security has been at all airports in the country following the India-Pakistan military conflict.
