EXCLUSIVE: Air India Pilots Denied Sending Hijack Signal; Same Crew Cleared To Fly AI-2030 To Delhi After Security Checks

New Delhi: Pilots of Air India flight AI-2030, which was diverted from Frankfurt to New Delhi to Jaipur on Wednesday following a hijack alert, have told investigators that they did not activate any transponder code, highly placed sources within the investigative teams have told Republic.

According to the exclusive input accessed by Republic, the pilots maintained that they had not squawked any emergency code, even though Air Traffic Control (ATC) officials received a hijack signal from the aircraft. The discrepancy has emerged as a key aspect of the ongoing investigation into the security scare involving the Frankfurt-Delhi flight.

The Boeing 787-9 aircraft landed safely at Jaipur International Airport and was moved to an isolation bay for extensive security checks. The flight was diverted after ATC received a signal associated with Squawk 7500, the internationally recognised transponder code for hijacking or unlawful interference with an aircraft. The precise circumstances that triggered the alert remain under investigation. 

Same Pilots Cleared To Fly Aircraft To Delhi

In another significant detail accessed exclusively by Republic, the same crew, including both pilots, was allowed to operate the aircraft to Delhi after approximately four hours of security checks at Jaipur airport.

Sources said multiple teams, including officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and local police, were involved in the operation. The teams questioned the pilots and examined the aircraft before allowing the flight to resume its journey with the same crew.

The decision to permit the same pilots to fly the aircraft to Delhi, despite the unexplained discrepancy between their account and the signal received by ATC, is a crucial aspect of the incident.

The flight subsequently reached Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, with passengers and crew reported safe. Air India had earlier confirmed that security agencies had completed the necessary checks and cleared the aircraft and crew.

The DGCA is investigating the circumstances behind the alert, including why the hijack signal was received despite the pilots' denial of activating a transponder code. The cause has not yet been conclusively established.