An IndiGo flight to Shillong had to be evacuated at the Calcutta airport on Saturday morning after a note suggesting a possible bomb threat was found in the aircraft’s
lavatory.

Airport sources said it was an ATR 72 aircraft with 65 passengers on board.

A check was conducted, but it yielded nothing, and the flight departed over four hours after its scheduled departure, airport officials said. The original departure time was around 9am.

“A security alert was reported earlier today during boarding of IndiGo flight 6E-7304 scheduled to operate from the Calcutta airport to Shillong after a suspicious note was found on-board,” an airport official said.

The handwritten note, indicating a possible bomb threat, was discovered in the aircraft lavatory by one of the crew members, sources said. It had the words “Bomb in the flight” written in English, they said.

“As a precautionary measure, all passengers were deboarded and the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay. Standard security protocols were followed and a thorough inspection was carried out by the concerned agencies. Upon completion of all safety checks and clearance by security authorities, the aircraft was declared safe for operations. The flight subsequently departed for Shillong at 1.33pm,” the official said.

It is almost impossible to find out who left the note because the washroom does not have CCTV cameras, airport sources said.

An IndiGo spokesperson said: “A security threat was noticed onboard IndiGo flight 6E 7304... Following the standard operating procedure (SOP), we informed the relevant authorities immediately and are fully cooperating with them in carrying out the necessary security checks...”

Police sources said the preliminary inquiry has revealed that a tissue paper was found in the plane’s toilet.

“We received a complaint from the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee, based on which a case has been started against unknown persons,” said Aishwarya Sagar, deputy commissioner (airport division), Bidhannagar police.

Dibrugarh flight

A second security threat was reported on Saturday evening, this time on IndiGo flight 6E-6894, operating from Dibrugarh to Calcutta. A suspicious message, reportedly written in lipstick inside the aircraft toilet, indicated a possible bomb threat.

“The A-320 aircraft landed safely at 7.37pm and was moved to the isolation bay as per security protocols. All passengers were safely deboarded,” the airline said.