NEW DELHI: An Indigo flight carrying over 160 passengers had to abort its take-off after a hoax bomb threat was detected just while it was taxiing, said airport sources. The passengers were deboarded and after intensive checks, the aircraft departed over 112 minutes later.
Flight no. 6E 6091 was scheduled to take-off from Terminal 1 by 3.15 pm, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. It finally departed by 4.57 pm.
According to Delhi airport sources, “The Air Traffic Control at IGIA received a message from one of the pilots stating that these words, `Don’t fly 6E 6091’ were found in one of the lavatories by a crew member who was carrying out the mandatory checks in the aircraft before take-off. Hence, the plane had to abort the take-off and it was taken to an isolation bay.”
The source added, “We do not know if it was written on the wall or on a piece of paper. “
Another source said that the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) considered it a non-specific threat since the word `bomb’ was not used. “So, anti-sabotage checks were carried out. The threat was found to be a hoax. The plane was allowed to fly after intensive checks.”
An IndiGo source confirmed the incident. She said, “The aircraft was taxiing before take-off when a bomb threat was detected. The plane was isolated and all the protocols were followed. It turned out to be a hoax later.” The flight left an hour later, the source claimed.
Airport police refused to comment on the threat.
