Woman in burqa causes security alert on plane

A Spicejet flight made a 'priority landing' in Kolkata on Wednesday after a burqa-clad passenger with a man-like physique aroused the suspicion of crew members on board.

The Delhi-Kolkata-Dhaka Spicejet flight 208 with 123 passengers on board landed at the NSC Bose Airport around noon after the pilot was given clearance by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to make a priority landing, airport sources said.

The aircraft was immediately taken to an isolation bay and was surrounded by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, the bomb squad, fire brigade and the police, the sources said.

The burqa-clad passenger and another person sitting next to her were offloaded and the aircraft searched, the sources said.

The burqa-clad passenger, however, turned out to be a woman, the sources said.

Her large physique made the crew suspect that she was actually a man and since her identity could not be verified on board, the pilot asked for permission from the ATC to make a priority landing, the sources said.

She and the passenger sitting next to her were being questioned. Flights at the airport remained unaffected.

Sanjay Aggarwal, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Spice Jet said, "We were alerted about a suspicious passenger by the sky marshal on board SG208 Del-CCU flight. The Captain requested for a priority landing at CCU and the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay after landing at CCU. The concerned security agencies checked all the passengers and baggage on arrival and the matter is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities. All passengers have safely disembarked and the aircraft has been cleared for further flights."