IndiGo flight 6E-451 from Bengaluru to Lucknow returned to Bengaluru on Saturday after a handwritten threat was found in a toilet.
The note warned of a hijacking at 6:30, according to reports.
The aircraft was in the air for 51 minutes and 178 passengers were on board.
Airport sources said the threat was found to be a hoax after an inspection.
An investigation is under way to identify who left the note.
IndiGo flight 6E-451 from Bengaluru to Lucknow returned to Bengaluru on Saturday, November 7, 2026, after a handwritten hijack threat was found in a toilet, according to The Federal and Vartha Bharati.
The flight took off from Bengaluru at 5:50 pm with 178 passengers on board, according to The Federal.
The note read, in the words reported by The Federal, that the plane was going to get hijacked exactly at 06:30 and that the reader should ignore and see the consequences.
The note gives no AM or PM marker, and the reports describe the time as 6:30 pm, so the exact time stated is an interpretation.
Reports differ on who found the note: The Federal says a passenger spotted it mid-air and alerted the crew, while Vartha Bharati says a crew member found it.
The pilot informed air traffic control and sought priority clearance to return to Bengaluru, according to the reports.
The aircraft was in the air for 51 minutes before returning, according to Flightradar24 data cited by Vartha Bharati.
A full emergency was declared at Kempegowda International Airport’s Terminal 1 as a precaution, according to The Federal.
After landing, the aircraft was moved to an isolated area, and CISF, Bengaluru police and other agencies surrounded it, according to Vartha Bharati.
All passengers were evacuated as per standard operating procedures, according to the same report.
A bomb disposal squad and a dog squad checked the aircraft and the passengers’ baggage, according to Vartha Bharati.
IndiGo Airbus A320 (file image, not the aircraft involved), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
