QUICK TAKE | How a Hijack Threat in a Lavatory Sent IndiGo Flight 6E-451 Back to Bengaluru. Seven Things to Know

1. What happened on IndiGo flight 6E-451?

Cabin crew found a handwritten note threatening a hijacking in the aircraft’s lavatory shortly after it left Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport for Lucknow on November 7. The crew alerted the captain, who contacted air traffic control and requested priority clearance to return.

2. How many passengers were on board?

The aircraft was reportedly carrying 178 passengers. Flight-tracking data cited by media reports showed that it spent 51 minutes in the air before landing back at the airport it had just left. All passengers disembarked safely.

3. What did a ‘full emergency’ mean at Bengaluru airport?

Airport authorities activated their emergency response before the aircraft landed. Once on the ground, the plane was moved to an isolated bay, where the Central Industrial Security Force and Bengaluru police secured the area so teams could inspect the aircraft.

4. What did security teams find?

Bomb disposal personnel and dog squads checked the aircraft and passenger baggage. Airport sources reportedly told media outlets that the searches turned up nothing suspicious. Authorities treated the threat as a hoax and lifted the emergency after the aircraft was declared safe.

5. Do investigators know who wrote the note?

Officials opened an investigation to establish who left it in the lavatory. The reports available on Saturday night gave no name. Finding nothing suspicious during the security sweep resolved the immediate emergency. Identifying the author is a separate part of the investigation.

6. What did IndiGo tell passengers?

IndiGo said the pilots returned to Bengaluru so the required security checks could take place. The airline said its ground staff were providing refreshments and updates while passengers waited, and that the journey would resume once the necessary clearances came through.

7. Did the flight continue to Lucknow?

Airport sources confirmed that the emergency had been lifted. IndiGo’s statement said the flight would resume after clearance. Whether the aircraft had departed again by Saturday night remained unconfirmed.