Mumbai-bound Air India flight grounded in Kolkata after hijack threat, passengers evacuated

A Mumbai-bound Air India flight that had been scheduled to depart from Kolkata was grounded as a precaution after a hijack threat, according to India Today. The decision to halt flight operations was taken by authorities while security teams conducted a search and assessed the nature of the threat, with passengers subsequently evacuated from the aircraft as part of standard hijack-threat procedures.

Bhaskar English adds that the Air India flight from Kolkata to Mumbai was moved into an isolation bay shortly before take-off as security agencies arrived and carried out checks in line with established procedures. The incident occurred on a Wednesday morning, and the evacuation of passengers was part of the response, though no further details about the threat, injuries, aircraft specifics, or the final outcome are provided in their report.

Anadolu Ajansı notes a different framing, mentioning a U.S. aircraft evacuated from a United Kingdom base over reports of a threat connected to Iran, with officials indicating that base-to-base movements are routine and declining to comment on specific movements. The report from Anadolu Ajansı does not specify the aircraft type involved, the exact base, or the precise nature of the threat, and it provides no information about injuries, dates, or outcomes.

Al Jazeera, as cited in the material, describes diversions related to a broader security context, noting that two refueling tankers and several other aircraft were diverted from RAF Mildenhall to alternate locations due to security concerns tied to a threat from Iran. The report does not offer exact destinations, timing, or the specific types of the other aircraft, nor does it elaborate on the threat’s nature or its operational impact beyond the general security context.

CBS News contributes parallel context by describing an Ontario International Airport security incident in which a passenger overheard a FaceTime conversation containing bomb-related terms. Authorities conducted a security sweep, evacuated the aircraft and the east wing of Terminal 2, and later determined no explosive device was present and no crime had been committed. Passengers, including the detainee, reboarded and the flight proceeded after the all-clear, according to CBS News. This is presented as a separate incident from the UK base situation.

IGN, summarizing CBS News coverage, reiterates the Ontario International incident where a Frontier Airlines flight was evacuated due to the bomb-related FaceTime overheard discussion, with the Ontario Police Department detaining the implicated passenger and releasing them before boarding resumed. The flight eventually departed after the security sweep, with investigators finding no explosive device and no crime. Hoodline and CBS News corroborate these details, noting the broader context of post-sweep normal operations.

CBS News further reports in its broader coverage the security sequence at Ontario International Airport: a passenger overheard a FaceTime discussion about words associated with a bomb, triggering a security sweep and evacuations of the aircraft and the east wing of Terminal 2. Investigators concluded there was no explosive device and no crime, and passengers reboarded for departure after an all-clear was given. Authorities conducted a full sweep of the airplane as part of the investigation.