Dubai: An Air India flight carrying 306 passengers and crew from Frankfurt to New Delhi reached its destination on Wednesday after a false hijack alert forced an emergency diversion to Jaipur, with investigators now examining a possible air traffic control system malfunction.
Flight AI2030, operated by a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, was carrying 293 passengers and 13 crew members when air traffic controllers received a Squawk 7500 alert, the internationally recognised aviation code indicating a possible hijacking or unlawful interference.
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The aircraft landed safely at Jaipur International Airport at around 9.35am on October 14 and was moved to an isolation bay for security checks.
All passengers disembarked and underwent security screening before being allowed to reboard.
The flight later departed Jaipur at 2.37pm and landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 3.11pm, according to Indian media reports.
ATC system under investigation
Initial reports suggested the pilot may have accidentally activated the hijack code.
However, later reports citing airline and aviation officials say the pilots did not transmit the emergency code.
Investigators suspect a possible malfunction involving an air traffic control radar system in Mumbai.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is examining the ATC system for a possible technical error.
The exact cause remains unestablished, and the aviation regulator’s investigation is ongoing.
No actual hijacking
Security sources said the alert was false and there was no actual hijacking threat.
Air India confirmed that security agencies cleared the aircraft and crew after inspections in Jaipur.
The airline said a perceived security concern prompted the diversion and that passengers underwent checks before reboarding the same aircraft.
Passengers recount diversion
Passengers said they were initially told the aircraft was being diverted for security reasons, without details of the suspected threat.
Some said they remained on board for around two hours after landing before being taken to the terminal.
One passenger said the crew kept providing updates during the diversion.
Air India apologised for the disruption and said it had worked with authorities to minimise inconvenience to passengers.
The DGCA has yet to release a final finding on what caused the false hijack alert.