A Bengaluru-Lucknow IndiGo flight was forced to return to Kempegowda International Airport on Saturday after a handwritten note threatening a hijack was discovered inside the aircraft’s toilet, triggering a security alert and a full emergency at Bengaluru airport’s Terminal 1.
Flight 6E451 took off from Bengaluru at 5:50 pm with 178 passengers on board. Mid-air, a passenger spotted the note, which read, “This plane is going to get hijacked exactly at 06:30. Ignore and see the consequences,” and alerted the crew.
The pilot informed Air Traffic Control (ATC) and returned to Bengaluru as a precautionary measure.
After landing, all passengers were deboarded and security personnel carried out thorough checks of the aircraft. Police also questioned passengers as investigators suspected the note may have been planted by someone on board.
After receiving security clearance, the flight resumed its journey and landed safely in Lucknow.
In a statement, IndiGo said the relevant authorities were informed immediately and the pilots decided to return to the origin airport to complete security checks as per standard operating procedures.
The airline apologised for the inconvenience and said it was offering refreshments and regular updates to passengers while making efforts to minimise disruption.
