Flight makes emergency landing in Jaipur after hijack alert

An Air India flight from Frankfurt to New Delhi made an emergency landing at Jaipur airport on Wednesday after an aircraft hijack alert was triggered, with all 305 passengers reported safe.

The aircraft landed safely at around 9:35AM local time on Wednesday, Jaipur airport chief executive officer Charan Singh told Indian newspaper The Indian Express.

According to airport officials, the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay after landing, where security personnel searched the plane and passengers’ belongings. The passengers were subsequently evacuated safely and taken to the airport terminal.

Preliminary findings suggested that the alert may have been triggered accidentally by one of the pilots while operating the aircraft. However, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an investigation to establish the exact cause of the incident.

The alert was reportedly prompted by the aircraft transmitting squawk code 7500, an internationally recognised aviation transponder code indicating a hijacking or other unlawful interference.

Following the alert received by Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control, authorities diverted the flight to Jaipur, where personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), local police and bomb detection and disposal teams conducted security checks.

Initial reports differed over whether the alert involved a bomb threat or a suspected hijacking. However, the Jaipur airport chief’s preliminary remarks indicated that the signal might have been activated inadvertently.

As of the latest reports, Air India had not issued a detailed official statement, and investigators had yet to publish their findings.

- MaT