Jaipur:
An Air India flight travelling from Frankfurt in Germany to Delhi was diverted to Jaipur this morning following a reported hijack alert, sources said. The airport authorities followed the highest level of response similar to the one usually activated to tackle incidents like hijacking, sources said.
Flight AI 2030, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, safely landed in the city in Rajasthan 280 km from its intended destination at 9.45 am. Once on the ground, the authorities approached the aircraft with caution before they moved in the ladders for passengers to exit.
Sources in the Ahmedabad air traffic control said they received a squawk code 7500, which is generally used when an aircraft is hijacked, from AI 2030. It is the international transponder code for unlawful interference during flight operations.
Everyone is safe, officials said. The passengers and crew were allowed to deboard after the aircraft was thoroughly checked, they said. The passengers were offered complimentary rescheduling options or a full refund in case of a cancellation, the airline said earlier today.
Hours later, confirming the incident, Air India in a statement said the flight was diverted “following a perceived security concern.” The passengers were taken through security checks and allowed to board the aircraft again to continue its flight to Delhi, the airline said.
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It landed in Delhi this evening.
“Air India teams worked proactively with authorities to minimise passenger inconvenience. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers due to this unforeseen disruption and appreciate their patience and understanding,” Air India said.
