A passenger aboard Air India AI 2772 was arrested on 11 November 2026 after a handwritten note threatening a hijack was discovered in the lavatory of an Airbus A320 at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The aircraft was grounded for more than seven hours before eventually departing for Mumbai.
This incident comes as security alerts affecting commercial aviation continue to draw attention globally. Earlier this month, we covered a bomb threat wave that prompted fighter jet escorts across Europe, a reminder of how rapidly a written or telephoned threat can paralyse flight operations.
What Happened Aboard Air India AI 2772
The flight was scheduled to depart Kolkata for Mumbai at around 10:30 am, according to The Hindu. At approximately 10:37 am, a cabin crew member found a handwritten note in the aircraft lavatory. [The Hindu and Aviation A2Z both report](S1,S2) that the note warned the aircraft would be hijacked at 11:10 am.
Hindustan Times reported, as carried by Aviation A2Z, that air traffic control was informed immediately and that security agencies activated hijack threat procedures. All 105 passengers were deboarded and the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay, [according to The Hindu and Aviation A2Z](S1,S2). Hindustan Times also reported that the seven crew members on board were deboarded separately as part of the same response.
Security Checks and the Arrest
Authorities carried out full security checks on the aircraft, passengers and their baggage. Once those checks were complete, [The Hindu and Aviation A2Z confirm](S1,S2) that the threat was declared a hoax. The passenger responsible for writing the note was apprehended and handed over to NSCBI Airport Police Station, [according to both outlets](S1,S2).
The Airports Authority of India confirmed the arrest on Thursday 12 November 2026, [as reported by The Hindu and Aviation A2Z](S1,S2).
The Delay by the Numbers
Flightradar24 data shows that VT-TNH, the Airbus A320 operating the service, took off at 12:08 UTC on 11 November 2026 from Kolkata, which has the ICAO code VECC. The flight landed at 14:52 UTC, according to Flightradar24, giving a total flight time of 2 hours 44 minutes. The aircraft reached a peak altitude of approximately 36,000 feet during the sector, Flightradar24 data shows.
The Hindu reported the departure time as 5:38 pm local time, over seven hours after the originally scheduled 10:30 am departure. [The Hindu and Aviation A2Z both note](S1,S2) this represents a delay of more than seven hours for the 105 passengers on board.
Hindustan Times reported that the aircraft operating the flight carried the registration VT-TNH and is an Airbus A320. Readers wanting further detail on this airframe can use our Aircraft Search tool.
Why Hoax Threats Carry Real Consequences
A written or verbal hijack threat, however quickly identified as false, sets in motion a fixed and resource-intensive chain of events. Passengers must be deboarded, the aircraft isolated, and every piece of baggage re-screened before the aircraft can be returned to service. In this case, that process took the better part of a working day and affected more than a hundred people on a single domestic sector.
The individual responsible in this case was arrested at the scene, which at least limits the ongoing disruption. Authorities did not comment publicly on the motivation or on what charges the passenger might face, and we will not speculate on those points here.
Security incidents of this kind sit in our Squawk 7700 hub, where we track aviation emergencies and incidents as they develop.
The Bottom Line
A single handwritten note in an aircraft lavatory was enough to strand more than a hundred passengers in Kolkata for seven hours and trigger a full hijack response from Indian security agencies. The threat was a hoax, a passenger has been arrested, and the flight eventually reached Mumbai the same day. The Airports Authority of India confirmed the arrest the following morning, closing the immediate chapter.
We will update our coverage if Air India or the relevant Indian authorities release further information about the case.
This article draws on reporting by thehindu and Aviation A2Z and flight data from Flightradar24.
Continue to follow The Aviation Hub for more analysis and insight.
Advertise with us Your brand, in front of an aviation audience Home page and in-article placements, sold directly, one advertiser per slot. From £250 a year. See the rates
.jpg){kind=link}