Air India Frankfurt-Delhi flight hijack alert turns out to be false alarm

An Air India flight from Germany's Frankfurt to Delhi was diverted to Jaipur after the pilot reportedly activated Squawk 7500, an internationally recognised code used to discreetly alert air traffic control to a hijacking. The DGCA is probing the incident.

In Short

• Flight AI-2030 from Frankfurt to Delhi makes emergency landing at Jaipur
• Pilot reportedly activates Squawk 7500 code, signalling possible hijacking
• Hijack alert turns out to be false, same flight to leave for Delhi later today

An Air India flight from Germany's Frankfurt to Delhi was diverted to Jaipur on Wednesday following a suspected hijack alert from the pilot. The hijack alert on the flight, AI-2030, later turned out to be false and the flight is expected to depart for Delhi later in the day, news agency PTI reported.

The flight, which had 293 passengers and 13 crew members on board, landed safely at Jaipur International Airport at 9:35 am and was moved to an isolation bay for security checks. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing the incident, according to sources.

Initial checks found operations of the aircraft, to be normal. Following security checks, passengers reboarded the flight, which will leave for Delhi later in the day.

According to initial information, Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control (ATC) received an emergency signal from the aircraft for a few seconds around 9 am. The pilot reportedly activated the Squawk 7500 code, an internationally recognised aviation transponder code used to discreetly alert air traffic control to a hijacking or unlawful interference with an aircraft.

Security agencies were alerted following the signal. Around 9:10 am, authorities at the Delhi airport's war room decided to divert the aircraft to Jaipur as a precaution. The plane was moved to the isolation bay at 9:45 am for inspection.

The concerned agencies are investigating the circumstances that prompted the alert and the activation of the Squawk 7500 code.

Visuals below showed the AI-2030 flight, bearing Vistara's livery, parked in the isolation bay. Vistara merged with Air India in November 2024.

In a statement, Air India said flight AI2030 was diverted to Jaipur following a perceived security concern. The aircraft landed safely, and the relevant security agencies carried out the necessary checks before clearing the aircraft and crew.

"All passengers were disembarked, underwent security checks, and have since reboarded the aircraft. The flight is expected to continue its journey to Delhi shortly," the airline said.

Air India added that its teams worked proactively with the authorities to minimise passenger inconvenience.

"We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers due to this unforeseen disruption and appreciate their patience and understanding. The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain Air India's highest priority," the statement read.

The Adani Airport management, in a statement, said all passengers aboard AI-2030 were safe and were being deboarded and said the situation was normal. The Jaipur airport is operated and managed by the Adani Group.

"They will thereafter be onboarded for the destination. The situation is normal, and we request passengers and their relatives not to panic. We will give further updates as the situation evolves," the statement read.

- Ends
(with inputs from PTI)