Air India Hijack Scare Results in 6 Passengers Being Detained

Air India (Airbus A319 pictured)

6 passengers have been detained this morning after a female Air India pilot claimed several passengers tried to force their way in to the cockpit of her plane.

The passengers, however, say the pilot has made a false claim.

NDTV reports:

‘It all began early this morning, when the flight, headed from Abu Dhabi to Kochi in Kerala, was diverted suddenly to Thiruvananthapuram, 30 minutes of flying time away, because of fog.

There are differing versions of what happened next. The pilot, Captain Rupali Wagmare, allegedly pressed an alarm button to the airport because passengers allegedly tried to force their way into the cockpit to protest against the re-routing. Air India sources said she felt threatened and panicked as the passengers banged the cockpit door. They even assaulted a male steward, sources add. The airline has reportedly asked the local police to lodge an FIR against unidentified persons and six passengers, who allegedly tried to stop the pilot from deplaning; they have been detained at Kochi airport.

A passenger named Sivan said the airline’s version is incorrect. He told NDTV that the flight was meant to land at Kochi at 3.30 am. After they landed in Thiruvananthapuram at 6:30 am, he said passengers were kept waiting on the plane for close to seven hours without any information. The air-conditioning of the flight was switched off while they waited on board, he added.

The pilot and crew then tried to disembark because their shift had ended. At this point, Sivan said, passengers who were worried about further delays began arguing with the pilot. He said nobody tried to enter the cockpit. He also said that passengers were angry because the airline was considering terminating the flight at Thiruvananthapuram and driving them to their destination, Kochi.’

India’s avation regulatory agency, the DGCA, has launched and investigation as to what really happened.

Source