Hijack Threat Note Forces IndiGo Flight Back to Bengaluru; 178 Passengers Safe After Hoax Declared

BENGALURU — A Lucknow-bound IndiGo flight carrying 178 passengers turned back to Bengaluru on Saturday evening after a handwritten note threatening a hijacking was found in the aircraft's lavatory, triggering a full emergency at Kempegowda International Airport.

Flight 6E 451 had departed Bengaluru at around 5.50 p.m. and was about 30 minutes into its journey when a passenger found the note, which warned the aircraft would be hijacked at 6.30 p.m. The crew alerted the pilot, who contacted air traffic control and returned the aircraft to Bengaluru in line with security protocols. All 178 passengers were safely deboarded, and a security sweep lasting about 90 minutes found no suspicious object. Authorities then declared the threat a hoax, and the flight resumed its journey to Lucknow later on Saturday night, landing safely.

IndiGo confirmed a security threat had been reported on board flight 6E 451 and said the pilots returned to the originating airport for the necessary security checks. An investigation is under way to identify who left the note, and officials have not yet said whether a case has been registered.