KOLKATA | A hijack threat note found inside the lavatory of an Air India flight bound for Mumbai triggered a security alert at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Wednesday, prompting authorities to move the aircraft to an isolation bay for detailed inspection.The note, which warned that the aircraft would be hijacked at 11.10 am, was discovered shortly before the flight’s scheduled departure at 10.20 am, Kolkata airport director Vikram Singh said.

All 105 passengers who had boarded the aircraft were deboarded, following which the plane was moved to the isolation bay as a precautionary measure. Security agencies immediately activated the prescribed protocols and began necessary checks. In a statement, the airport said the cabin crew found the note at 10.37 am inside the lavatory of Air India flight AI 2772, an Airbus A320 operating on the Kolkata-Mumbai route.

The aircraft bears registration number VT-TNH. “Necessary checks are currently underway by the concerned agencies as per established protocols,” the airport statement said. The aircraft was being thoroughly inspected as part of the security response. Air India had not issued an official statement on the incident at the time of reporting.