New Delhi - An IndiGo Mangalore–Mumbai flight number 6E-5237 which was scheduled to depart on Sunday morning at 10.44am was delayed by more than five hours after a woman passenger informed IndiGo crew members about a suspicious message on the mobile phone of a co-passenger.
The woman passenger noticed the message “you are a bomber” on the fellow passenger’s mobile phone and alerted the crew.
An airport official said: “A female passenger saw a message on the mobile phone of a person on board the plane and informed the airline’s crew.
“The crew reported this to the air traffic controller (ATC) and the aircraft had to be grounded as it was ready to take off.
“Aviation security was immediately called and the airport police began an investigation with the suspected passenger… and they were asked to disembark and their luggage was thoroughly searched.
“Only then was the IndiGo aircraft allowed to fly to Mumbai on Sunday evening,” airport sources said.
During the investigation it was found that “the man was talking to his girlfriend by sending a message on her mobile which was to take a flight from the same airport to Bengaluru. This person was not allowed to board the plane due to interrogation,” the sources said.
Security agencies especially at airports are always on high alert around Independence Day. No official complaint was lodged against the male passenger and later it was declared a false alarm.
IndiGo did not comment on the incident.
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