Sunday Times 2
A false hijack alert causes high drama on Air India Express flight
A “false” hijack alert sent by the pilot of an Air India Express flight resulted in high drama at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport on Friday morning. The Abu Dhabi-Kochi flight was diverted to the Kerala capital due to heavy fog at Kochi.
Airport sources said when the airplane did not take off for hours, agitated passengers created a ruckus. Some allegedly forced their way into the cockpit following which the pilot pressed the alarm.
Airport security officials and local police surrounded the aircraft with 200 passengers on board and took control of the situation.
The flight had left Abu Dhabi almost three hours behind schedule because of a reported technical snag. It was scheduled to land at Kochi at 3.50 am but was diverted to Thiruvananthapuram due to poor visibility.
Passengers said when the plane landed at around 6.30 am, they were told that it was a brief halt for refuelling. Later, they were allegedly told that they would be taken to Kochi by road. “This along with the announcement by the crew that they were leaving as their duty hours were over caused the chaos,” a passenger said.
Six passengers involved in the ‘hijack’ drama were detained when the aircraft finally landed at Kochi’s Nedumbassery international airport but the police let them off after verifying their details. According to police sources, the pilot has filed a written complaint that the passengers had entered the cockpit and threatened her. Dismissing the allegation, the passengers said it was not possible to enter the cockpit as the door was closed.
The police and the airport authorities said the hijack alert was a false one, and what actually happened was a protest by the passengers who were angry over the delay. Police sources said versions of both the pilot and the passengers would be recorded.
© Daily Mail, London
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