Hijack threat on Frankfurt-Delhi Air India flight turns out hoax

An Air India flight from Frankfurt to New Delhi was diverted to Rajasthan and made an emergency landing at Jaipur International Airport on Wednesday after the pilot issued a hijacking alert, multiple local media reports said.

The scare, however, turned out to be a hoax.

Reports said the pilot of flight AI 2030 was squawking transponder code 7500, the internationally recognized aviation code for hijacking or unlawful interference. The alert was received by air traffic control, following which the flight was diverted to Jaipur, a local newspaper, Hindustan Times, quoting its sources, said.

At Jaipur airport, the aircraft landed safely and was moved to a designated isolation bay for security checks. However, nothing objectionable was found in it.

Air India described the incident as a "perceived security concern" and said the aircraft was cleared after the required security check. The aircraft was allowed to take off and landed safely at New Delhi airport.

Reports said India's civil aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, has ordered a probe into the incident.