The security agencies of Mumbai airport were on their toes on Thursday morning after receiving information of a pink balloon being sighted near the primary runway of the airport, but it turned out to be a false alarm three hours later.
The information was given by an Air India pilot who claimed that he saw the balloon from the apron area, after which the domestic airport station was alerted. During investigation, police officers discovered that the weather department — the Vile-Parle based Regional Meteorological Department (RMD) — was flying the balloon to check air pressure around 10.40 am on Thursday. The balloon was sighted south of Mumbai airport.
Confirming this, meteorological department source told The Asian Age, “We often fly balloons to calculate the air pressure. We were flying one such balloon at around 10.40 pm.” The pilot informed the apron control department around 11 am about sighting a balloon when the aircraft was flying 400 metres above the ground before landing. The pilot’s aircraft, Air India flight AI 604, was coming from Bengaluru and it landed at Mumbai airport around 10.35 am.
Acting upon the pilot’s information, the airport security agency Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and domestic airport police station was alerted. In the police investigation, officers discovered that metrological department of Bamanvada, was flying the balloon at 10.40 am. The police didn’t registered a case in the matter.
