A chit with the word “bomb” written on it, found on an IndiGo flight from Silchar to Calcutta minutes before it landed, triggered a mid-air scare on Sunday afternoon.
The matter has been reported to police.
The cabin crew of flight 6E 2516 informed the pilot about the chit, who passed the information to Calcutta airport’s air traffic control.
Although the flight landed safely, five minutes later than the original schedule of 3.05pm, all emergency measures were in place to ensure the safety of the passengers.
“The piece of paper was found in the washroom at 2.50pm, and the pilot reported the matter to the air traffic control,” said an officer of the NSCBI Airport police station.
A case has been started under sections of causing breach of peace, public mischief and section of suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of the Civil Aviation Act, 1982, which deals with the offence of destruction or damage to an aircraft.
The deputy commissioner (airport division) of Bidhannagar police, Aishwarya Sagar, confirmed that the police have received the complaint.
“We received the complaint yesterday. A probe has been launched,” the deputy commissioner said on Monday.
Investigators said the chit found in the lavatory was a tissue paper with the word “bomb” written on it.
The safety of passengers and an aircraft is a matter of serious concern, said an
officer of Bidhannagar Commissionerate, citing the ongoing cross-border tension between India and Pakistan.
The situation had prompted the directorate general of civil aviation to suspend civilian flights at 32 airports in northern and western India, which were reopened on
Monday.
The airport authorities evaluated the threat perception and declared the threat as “specific”, said sources.
Later on Sunday evening, Indigo formally filed a complaint with the NSCBI Airport police station.
“Flight 6E 2516 operating from Silchar to Kolkata received a bomb threat on May 11, 2025. In line with security protocols, the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay upon landing. All customers were safely disembarked, and standard operating procedures were thoroughly followed,” IndiGo said in a press release.