Air India flight inadvertently sends out hijack signal; authorities probe incident

New Delhi: A Mumbai-bound Air India flight inadvertently sent out a hijack signal soon after taking off from the national capital this week, sending security agencies into a tizzy and the incident is now under investigation, according to sources.

Security protocols were put in place and after landing at the Mumbai airport, the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay. Passengers disembarked safely.

The sources aware of the development said the flight AI 2957 from Delhi to Mumbai sent out the squawk code '7500', which is used to alert about hijack on January 27.

The squawk code was pressed for around three minutes. After the code was relayed, the Pilot In Command (PIC) informed the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) concerned that the code was pressed inadvertently, they said.

However, as it is an emergency code, relevant security protocols were initiated.

Later, the aircraft landed safely at the Mumbai airport around 10 pm on January 27.

Airline sources said there was no indication of any crew involvement in the incident. It could have been a technical glitch. All stakeholders, including the regulatory authorities, are trying to find out the root cause, they added.

There was no comment from Air India.

The incident is being probed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the sources said.

'7500' is among the special squawk codes that are standardised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and used by the cockpit crew when there is an emergency situation.