Pilot alarms Hijack by mistakes creates panic at Delhi Airport

NP NEWS 24 ONLINE – In recent past we have seen many airplane accident and many pilots and airplane staff doing mistakes but this one was the stupidest of them all as the pilot of a plane which was parked in Delhi airport press the alarm of hijack, by mistake.

Security agencies, including the National Security Guard (NSG), went into a tizzy at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport after the pilot of a Kandahar-bound flight mistakenly pressed the hijack alert button when the plane was readying for take-off on Saturday afternoon.

However, within minutes, the chief security officer of the flight informed all agencies concerned that the button had been pressed mistakenly. The plane was cleared for departure only after two hours — once the security agencies gave a clearance after thoroughly checking the flight.

A senior officer deployed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport confirmed that a “transponder code”, a silent alert which enables pilots to alert the ATC in case of a hijack situation, was received around 3.30pm.

“At the time of the alert, the aircraft was parked at the apron. The moment the alert was generated, our ground radars highlighted Ariana Afghan flight FG 312. The team then conveyed the alert to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards the airport, and to the National Security Guards (NSG) and the Delhi Police. However, before any action could take place on the ground, the pilot informed the ATC that the alert had been issued by mistake,” the officer, who is not authorized to speak to media, said.

NSG commandos and officials from other security agencies immediately responded to the situation and guided the aircraft towards the isolation bay. “The flight had 124 passengers, including a baby, and nine crew members. After a two-hour operation that led to some panic among passengers on board the aircraft, the plane was cleared for take-off, following satisfactory security checks. Initial investigation revealed that the pilot was telling the co-pilot about the procedure to follow in case of a security alert, when the alarm was accidentally pressed and an alert went out to the air traffic control (ATC),” the officer added.