Representative image. Venkat Mangudi, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Why it matters
A threat note on board turns a routine flight into an emergency: here it meant a return to Bengaluru, a full emergency at the airport and a search of the plane before the 178 passengers could go on. IndiGo flights to or from Bengaluru saw at least two earlier threat scares this year in the reports NewsPlainly read, and in the July case police registered a first information report (FIR) on the airline's complaint.
An IndiGo hijack threat, written on a note left in an aircraft toilet, sent a Lucknow-bound flight back to Bengaluru on Saturday evening, 7 November 2026. IndiGo said a security threat was reported on board flight 6E 451 and that its pilots chose to return to the origin airport for security checks, in line with standard procedure.
Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru declared a full emergency at Terminal 1 over the threat, Hindustan Times and Dainik Bhaskar reported. Once it landed, security staff took control of the aircraft, parked it away from other planes and searched it, according to both reports.
How the IndiGo hijack threat turned 6E 451 back
IndiGo 6E 451 had 178 passengers on board and took off from Bengaluru at about 5.50 pm, The Times of India reported. The note was found about 30 minutes into the Bengaluru Lucknow flight, the paper said. By those two times, that puts the find at roughly 6.20 pm; this is NewsPlainly’s arithmetic from the paper’s approximate figures, not an official time.
The reports differ on who found it. The Times of India said a passenger saw the note in the toilet and told the cabin crew, who informed the pilot. Hindustan Times and Dainik Bhaskar said crew members found it. All three agree the message spoke of a hijack and that the pilots then turned the Bengaluru Lucknow flight around.
Hindustan Times reported that an investigation was under way to find who wrote the note. Dainik Bhaskar said investigators were also trying to work out how it got on board.
What IndiGo said about the security threat
The airline’s statement on the IndiGo hijack threat was shared by the news agency Asian News International (ANI) on X on 7 November and carried in full by Hindustan Times and Aaj Tak. It is short, and it leaves several things out.
What the statement says:
- A security threat was reported on board IndiGo 6E 451, Bengaluru to Lucknow, on 7 November 2026.
- The relevant authorities were told at once, and the pilots decided to return to Bengaluru for security checks, “as per protocol”.
- Passengers were offered refreshments and regular updates while they waited.
- The flight would resume its journey once it received the required clearances.
What the statement does not say:
- It does not mention a note or a hijack. Those details come from the newspaper reports.
- It does not give the number of passengers.
- It does not say what the search found or when the plane left again for Lucknow.
The reports NewsPlainly read did not carry an on-record statement from the police or the airport operator on the result of the search. The airline added that the safety and security of its customers, crew and aircraft “remain our utmost priority”.
Earlier threat notes on IndiGo’s Bengaluru flights
This is not the first time this year that a threat has disrupted an IndiGo flight to or from Bengaluru. NewsPlainly found two earlier cases in reports it read. The list is not a complete count of threats against flights in India.
| Date | Flight | What was reported |
|---|---|---|
| Reported 17 July 2026 | 6E-6423, Bengaluru to Ahmedabad | A note warning of a bomb found in the front toilet before take-off; search found nothing; police case on IndiGo’s complaint (PTI) |
| 26 August 2026 | 6E231, Lucknow to Bengaluru | Bomb threat passed to the crew on final approach; plane landed safely and was searched (IANS) |
| 7 November 2026 | 6E 451, Bengaluru to Lucknow | Hijack threat note found in the toilet about 30 minutes after take-off; plane returned (Times of India, Hindustan Times) |
In the July case, a crew member found the note about 25 minutes before the 8 pm departure, PTI reported. Passengers were taken off the plane, and a case was registered at the Kempegowda International Airport police station, Republic reported. The two outlets gave different days for the incident, so it is listed here by its report date.
Cabin security has been in the news for another reason too. On 30 September the co-pilot of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv attacked the captain in the cockpit, the United Arab Emirates Attorney General said, and the captain and crew were later honoured by the country, as NewsPlainly reported. That case was an attack on board, not a note.
What passengers of the Bengaluru Lucknow flight were told
IndiGo said it regretted the inconvenience to customers and was trying to reduce it. Ground staff were giving passengers refreshments and updates while security checks went on, Hindustan Times reported.
For the 178 people on the Bengaluru Lucknow flight, the evening meant a return to the airport they had left, a search of the plane and a wait for clearance. The airline’s statement said the flight would continue to Lucknow after clearance, but it gave no time.
Two questions about the IndiGo hijack threat remain open in the material read: who left the note, and what the search of the aircraft found. The reports NewsPlainly read, checked at 6.15 am on 8 November, did not say whether a police case had been registered.
Frequently asked questions
What happened on IndiGo flight 6E 451?
The Bengaluru to Lucknow flight turned back to Bengaluru on 7 November 2026 after a note about a hijack was found in a toilet. IndiGo said its pilots returned to the origin for security checks, as per protocol.
Was the IndiGo hijack threat real?
The reports read carried no on-record finding from the police or the airport. IndiGo called it a security threat and said the flight would resume after clearances. Investigators are trying to trace who wrote the note.
How many passengers were on the flight?
The flight had 178 passengers on board, The Times of India reported. IndiGo's own statement did not give a number.