Passengers aboard the Air India flight from Frankfurt to Delhi, which was diverted to Jaipur on Wednesday morning after the pilot issued a hijacking alert, recounted moments of confusion after being told the aircraft would make an unscheduled landing for “security reasons”. The flight eventually landed at Terminal 3 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport around 3.15 pm.
Flight AI2030, operated by a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, was carrying 293 passengers and 13 crew members. Passengers told HT that they were informed at around 9 am that the flight, which was scheduled to land in Delhi, would be diverted to Jaipur.
Passengers describe security checks in Jaipur
Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, 40, a German citizen of Indian origin, said passengers had to remain inside the aircraft for at least two hours after it landed in Jaipur around 9.30 am.
“There were some announcements that we will undergo a security check. Around 11.30 am, the captain said that we will have to deboard. When we deboarded, we saw a lot of security personnel. A few of us were asked to show our passports, including me,” he told HT.
Khalsa said he was accustomed to being asked for additional checks because of his name. “I am always profiled because of my name so this was not new to me,” he said.
He added that security personnel subsequently asked all passengers to wait while their check-in baggage underwent scanning. After waiting for another two hours, passengers boarded the aircraft again and departed for Delhi.
Khalsa also said an official in Jaipur had told him that there was a “bomb threat like situation”.
‘We thought there was an engine failure’
Jannis, 25, a medical student who was travelling to Delhi for a holiday with his partner, said the crew informed passengers about the diversion as the aircraft was descending.
“While descending, the crew said that the plane was being diverted to Jaipur for security reasons. When we landed and got out, we saw a lot of firefighters so we thought there was an engine failure. Then we saw people in other uniforms and thought there may have been an actual security threat,” he told HT.
Jannis said his partner’s mother later sent them a news clip about a possible hijacking, leaving her worried about their safety. “She was really worried. We told her we were fine. After that, everything was smooth and professional,” he said.
Aircraft transmitted hijack alert
The aircraft was transmitting transponder code 7500, the internationally recognised aviation code for hijacking or unlawful interference, according to people aware of the incident. Air traffic control (ATC) received the alert, following which the flight was diverted to Jaipur.
The pilot was allowed to fly the aircraft back to Delhi, officials familiar with the matter said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will investigate what triggered the squawk, which is suspected to have resulted from a technical glitch. Officials have yet to establish whether the issue lay with the aircraft or the ATC system.
‘The crew didn’t want us to panic’
Passenger Sunita Rani, 43, who lives in Germany and is visiting her family in Delhi, said the crew did not share details of the suspected security threat with passengers.
“The crew didn't want us to panic. I later heard that there were rumours about a bomb threat but we were not told anything except that we will have to land in Jaipur for a security check,” she told HT.
Earlier on Wednesday, Air India said the flight had been diverted following a perceived security concern and had landed safely in Jaipur.
“Air India flight AI2030 operating from Frankfurt to Delhi on 14 October was diverted to Jaipur following a perceived security concern. The aircraft landed safely in Jaipur. The relevant security agencies carried out the necessary checks and have cleared the aircraft and crew. All passengers disembarked, underwent security checks, and have since reboarded the aircraft,” the airline said in a statement.
The aviation regulator is probing the incident.