In a dramatic and unsettling day for air travel in eastern India, Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport was hit by two separate bomb threats on February 14, 2026, triggering evacuations, emergency responses and hours of delays. Both incidents, targeting IndiGo flights to and from the region, were later declared hoaxes, but not before passengers were rushed off aircraft, planes were moved to isolation bays, and security agencies mounted full-scale emergency checks. One of the threats involved a chilling lipstick message scrawled inside an aircraft toilet, adding a bizarre twist to an already tense situation.
Two Bomb Scares, One Airport, One Chaotic Day
The day began like any other busy Saturday at Kolkata airport, a key aviation hub for eastern and northeastern India, before abruptly spiraling into a series of crises. In the morning, an IndiGo flight preparing to depart from Kolkata to Shillong was halted after a handwritten note suggesting the presence of a bomb was found in the aircraft’s lavatory. The discovery triggered immediate activation of emergency protocols and grounded the aircraft for hours.
Authorities were still managing the fallout from that hoax when, by evening, a second scare erupted. This time it involved an IndiGo service from Dibrugarh to Kolkata. As the aircraft approached Kolkata, a suspicious message, reportedly written with lipstick on a surface inside the onboard toilet, indicated that a bomb was on the plane. Once again, the airport switched into high alert, and the aircraft was handled as a live threat until proven otherwise.
While both threats were ultimately found to be hoaxes, the twin incidents on the same day created confusion and anxiety for hundreds of travelers. They also raised urgent questions about onboard security, passenger screening and the growing problem of malicious or prank bomb threats in Indian aviation.
Morning Scare: Shillong-Bound Flight Stopped on the Tarmac
The first incident unfolded on Saturday morning as IndiGo flight 6E 7304 (reported in some dispatches as 6E 3074), bound for Shillong, prepared for departure from Kolkata. Scheduled to leave around 9:15 am, the flight had already boarded many of its roughly 60 passengers when a member of the cabin crew made an alarming discovery in the lavatory. Inside, a piece of paper carried a handwritten message claiming a bomb had been placed on the aircraft.
Standard operating procedures left no room for hesitation. Boarding was halted, and the pilot and crew notified ground authorities. Passengers were promptly asked to deboard, with airport staff and security teams guiding them off the aircraft in an orderly but urgent manner. The aircraft was then towed or taxied to an isolation bay, a secure area away from terminal buildings and other planes, where security forces could undertake a thorough search without risking collateral damage.
For the passengers, the experience meant an abrupt end to travel plans and a long period of uncertainty. Many were left waiting in the terminal as a multi-agency team, including airport security, bomb detection squads and airline engineers, combed through the aircraft, baggage and cargo compartment. The bomb squad deployed specialized equipment and protocols to rule out the presence of explosives, treating the threat as real until every possibility was eliminated.
After several hours of intensive inspection, no explosive device or suspicious object was found. By early afternoon, authorities confirmed that the bomb warning was a hoax. The aircraft was cleared for operations, and the flight eventually departed for Shillong at about 1:30 pm, roughly four hours behind schedule.
Evening Shock: Lipstick Bomb Threat on Dibrugarh–Kolkata Flight
If the airport community hoped the morning incident was a one-off scare, those hopes were dashed by evening. IndiGo flight 6E 6894, operating from Dibrugarh in Assam to Kolkata, became the center of a second security emergency. As the aircraft approached its destination on Saturday evening, crew members discovered a suspicious message inside the toilet, this time reportedly written with lipstick. The wording indicated that there was a bomb onboard.
The flight crew informed Kolkata’s air traffic control, and the aircraft was given priority handling to ensure a safe landing. At around 7:37 pm, the flight touched down at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport under heightened alert. It was immediately directed to an isolation bay, away from routine operations, while ground forces mobilized to respond.
Passengers were swiftly but calmly evacuated from the plane and transported to the terminal. Many travelers, just minutes away from completing their journey, suddenly found themselves in the middle of a high-stakes security drama, unsure whether they had been flying for part of the trip with a potential bomb onboard. Airport announcements and airline staff briefings sought to reassure them that procedures were in place and experts were on the job.
Detailed searches by bomb detection and disposal teams followed. As with the morning incident, seats, overhead bins, galleys, cargo holds and all accessible compartments were painstakingly examined. No explosives were found, and the scare was eventually classified as another hoax. Nevertheless, the lipstick message and the timing of the second threat just hours after the first injected a level of unease that lingered long after the all-clear.
Inside the Emergency Response: How Kolkata Airport Reacted
The twin threats put Kolkata’s airport security infrastructure to an immediate and demanding test. Witnesses reported that the response to both events was rapid and methodical. In each case, the aircraft involved was moved from the gate or active apron to an isolation bay, a key step in mitigating risk to passengers, staff and infrastructure in the event a device was actually present.
Passengers were deboarded directly onto the tarmac or through remote steps and then transported to the terminal for screening and re-accommodation. Security personnel established cordons around the affected aircraft, while bomb squads and sniffer dog units were deployed to conduct layer-by-layer inspections. This process can be time-consuming but is critical to ensuring that every part of the aircraft, including hidden compartments, is meticulously checked.
Airport officials and the Airports Authority of India coordinated closely with IndiGo’s operations and security departments. Senior officers from local law enforcement agencies were also brought in to supervise the investigation and manage the potential criminal dimension of the incidents. Real-time updates were shared among agencies to track both the technical searches and the emerging details about how and when the notes were found.
Despite the inevitable disruption, there were no reports of injuries or panic-related incidents. Authorities described the evacuations as orderly, crediting regular safety drills and clear protocols that allow crew and ground staff to act quickly in situations involving threats, whether real or suspected.
Impact on Passengers, Schedules and Travel Confidence
For travelers, the consequences of the hoaxes were significant. The Shillong-bound morning flight was delayed by around four hours, forcing many passengers to miss connections or alter local plans. Some may have chosen to abandon or reschedule their trips entirely, particularly those with time-sensitive commitments or onward journeys from Shillong to remote parts of Meghalaya and adjoining states.
The evening Dibrugarh–Kolkata service faced a different kind of disruption. Although the plane landed safely and passengers were quickly evacuated, they experienced the shock of learning that a bomb message had been discovered while they were in the air. Even after the threat was declared a hoax, the emotional impact was not easy to erase. Many travelers had to wait additional time at Kolkata airport while security procedures were completed, baggage was cleared and alternate arrangements were made.
Operationally, the use of isolation bays and redeployment of ground resources rippled through the wider airport schedule. Other flights may have experienced minor delays due to the temporary diversion of security staff and tarmac space. IndiGo, as the airline at the center of both incidents, also faced the challenge of reassigning aircraft and crew while maintaining its broader network commitments.
Perhaps most importantly, the back-to-back threats have implications for traveler confidence. Even when hoaxes are swiftly exposed, the repeated association of a particular route, airline or airport with bomb scares can make some passengers more anxious about flying. Restoring a sense of normalcy may now require visible reassurance measures, clear communication and a demonstration that security is both robust and adaptable.
Investigations, Motives and the Law on Hoax Threats
With both aircraft declared safe, attention has turned to the central questions of who was responsible for the notes and why they were placed onboard. Investigative teams are expected to review surveillance footage from the airport terminals and boarding gates, analyze crew and passenger manifests, and examine any physical evidence left behind in the toilets where the threats were discovered.
Forensic examination of the handwritten and lipstick messages may help authorities determine whether a single individual is behind both incidents or if they were unrelated acts that happened to occur on the same day. Handwriting experts, fingerprint analysts and digital forensics professionals may all be involved, especially if investigators suspect that the threats are linked to personal disputes, mischief, copycat behavior or attempts to disrupt flight operations.
Indian law treats bomb threats, even when hoaxes, as serious criminal offenses. Sections of the Indian Penal Code and specific provisions linked to aviation security and unlawful interference with aircraft can result in severe penalties, including imprisonment and fines. Beyond the legal consequences for perpetrators, airlines and airport operators sometimes pursue civil claims to recover the costs associated with emergency responses, diversions, overtime staffing and reputational damage.
Officials have signaled that they intend to pursue the matter vigorously, both to identify those responsible and to send a strong deterrent message. Given the coordinated response across agencies, any conclusive leads are likely to be followed aggressively, with the expectation that arrests and charges could follow if suspects are identified.
What This Means for Aviation Security in India
The Kolkata incidents come against the backdrop of a global conversation about aviation security and the rising number of disruptive incidents on flights. Hoax bomb threats can have nearly the same operational impact as real ones, consuming time, money and manpower, and inflicting anxiety on passengers and crew. For India, a country with a rapidly growing aviation sector and an expanding network of regional routes, the events underscore the need for both robust security and efficient crisis handling.
In practical terms, airports and airlines may now review the accessibility of materials that can be used to write or display threatening messages in lavatories and other confined spaces. Cabin checks before and after boarding, as well as heightened vigilance by crew members during flight, may be further emphasized in training modules. Sophisticated surveillance and behavioral analysis at terminals could also become more prominent as tools to detect suspicious conduct before passengers even step onto an aircraft.
At the same time, aviation experts caution against overreacting in ways that make flying burdensome or intrusive for the vast majority of law-abiding travelers. The challenge lies in calibrating measures so that they deter malicious actors without significantly eroding the convenience and efficiency that make air travel attractive in the first place. Transparent communication about why certain steps are taken, and how they protect passengers, can help strike that balance.
For Kolkata airport in particular, the fact that all passengers were safely evacuated and the procedures appeared to function as designed will be held up as evidence that the existing security framework is effective. Yet the unusual coincidence of two hoaxes in one day will almost certainly trigger internal reviews and, potentially, targeted enhancements in protocols and technology.
Travelers’ Takeaway: Vigilance, Patience and Perspective
For passengers flying through Kolkata and other busy Indian airports in the coming days, the immediate message is one of reassurance. Both bomb threats on February 14 were false. No explosive devices were found, and all affected travelers were safely deboarded and cared for. Flights gradually returned to normal operations once security authorities gave the all-clear.
However, travelers should be prepared for more visible security measures in the short term, including additional screening, more frequent cabin announcements about safety and occasional delays as protocols are refined and reinforced. Allowing extra time at the airport, maintaining patience with staff and following crew instructions during boarding and in flight can make a real difference when the system is under strain.
The events also highlight the importance of passenger vigilance. While the responsibility for safety rests with airlines, airports and regulators, travelers can play a role by promptly reporting anything unusual they notice on board or in terminal areas. Responsible behavior inside the aircraft, especially in sensitive spaces like lavatories, is essential. Even actions intended as jokes or pranks can have severe legal consequences and cause genuine distress to others.
In the end, the extraordinary day at Kolkata airport serves as a stark reminder of both the vulnerabilities and strengths of modern air travel. Hoax threats can disrupt journeys and shake nerves, but well-rehearsed emergency protocols, coordinated security operations and professional airline crews can and do keep passengers safe. For now, Kolkata’s twin bomb scares will likely enter the annals of aviation as a cautionary tale, one that underscores why vigilance and preparedness remain non-negotiable in the skies.