Hijack Scare Sparks Security Protocols on Air India Flight to Mumbai.
In a tense incident that unfolded on Monday evening, an Air India flight from New Delhi to Mumbai triggered a security alert after the aircraft sent an emergency signal to air traffic control (ATC), suggesting it had been hijacked.
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot of Air India flight AI 2957 informed the Delhi ATC that the aircraft had been hijacked, prompting the activation of a comprehensive security protocol. This required alerting the destination airport, various security agencies, and the Indian Air Force.
Despite the pilot later informing ATC that the alarm was a false one, the authorities refused to let their guard down. The flight, carrying 126 passengers, landed in Mumbai at around 9:47 pm, where an aerodrome committee had been formed and a full emergency was declared at the airport.
The aircraft was taken to an isolation bay, and passengers were allowed to disembark only after an hour, once it was established that all was in order.
According to officials, the drama began when the aircraft’s transponder sent a “squawk 7500” code to the Delhi ATC, which is the fixed code for indicating a hijack situation. While the pilot claimed it was a false alarm, the authorities were unwilling to take any chances.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), along with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), have now launched an investigation into the incident.
The aim is to determine the cause of the false indication, whether it was a technical error or a mistake by the pilot.
An Air India spokesperson remained unavailable for comment, but an airline official familiar with the incident stated that there was no indication of any crew involvement and that the issue could have been a technical error, which will only be known after the regulator’s inquiry is concluded.
