The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is investigating a false hijack alert that diverted an Air India flight from Frankfurt to Delhi to Jaipur, with Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu saying any changes to aviation security rules will be considered only after the probe establishes what happened.
Air India flight AI2030, operated by a Boeing 787-9, was carrying around 293 passengers and 13 crew members when it was diverted to Jaipur International Airport on Wednesday. The aircraft landed safely and resumed its journey after security checks, according to the report.
The alert was later confirmed to be false following the security procedures at the airport. The incident nevertheless prompted an inquiry by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the aviation regulator responsible for oversight of civil aviation safety and related operational standards.
Responding to questions about whether the existing security norms would be changed, Naidu said the government would first need to determine the precise circumstances behind the alert. “First (we need to) find out what exactly happened. So, once we know what exactly happened, then only we can see what changes are required… we will just wait until DGCA gives final information,” he said.
The minister’s comments indicate that no immediate decision has been announced on revising aviation security procedures. The outcome will depend on the DGCA’s findings and the final information submitted after the investigation, although the report does not specify a deadline for completing the inquiry.
For passengers and airport authorities, the incident illustrates how a security alert can affect an aircraft’s planned route even when the threat is ultimately found to be false. Diverting the aircraft to Jaipur allowed security checks to be completed before the flight continued towards Delhi. The report does not provide further details about the origin of the alert, the checks conducted or the operational disruption caused at either airport.
The aircraft’s safe landing and subsequent resumption of its journey were the immediate operational outcomes reported by the airline and authorities. The incident occurred as the Civil Aviation Minister was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi marking the 42nd Raising Day of Pawan Hans.
At that function, Naidu also called for Pawan Hans to expand its fleet in a time-bound manner and examine opportunities in electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft and seaplanes. Those remarks were separate from the Air India incident and its DGCA investigation.
The next formal step is the completion of the DGCA probe. The minister has said the government will wait for the regulator’s final information before determining whether any changes to existing aviation security norms are required.
