A software engineer who was arrested at an Indian airport after tweeting that his plane had been hijacked has apologised and said he used the term in error.
Delhi Police said Moti Singh Rathore, who works for a technology company in Dubai, faces at least three charges, including intent to cause alarm and fear.
Mr Rathore was travelling on a Spice Jet flight from Dubai to Jaipur on Wednesday that was diverted to Delhi owing to bad weather.
The flight was grounded at New Delhi airport for several hours on Wednesday morning and given clearance to depart in the afternoon.
Police arrested Mr Rathore after he tweeted “SG 58 Dubai to Jaipur high jacked” and tagged India’s federal minister for civil aviation.
“This is a very serious offence and exemplary action needs to be taken so this does not happen again,” a Delhi police officer told The National.
“He was on the plane when he sent out the tweet. The plane had been grounded for four to five hours because of bad weather.
“He said he tweeted this out of frustration.
“We have registered a case and arrested the man. An investigation is on.”
In subsequent Twitter posts, Mr Rathore has apologised and blamed a poor command of English for the message.
A resident of Rajasthan in western India, Mr Rathore said he was angry and meant to say that the flight was delayed.
Police said he faced charges including intent to cause fear and alarm to the public, wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication.
Both Spice Jet and Mr Rathore have been contacted for comment.
The world's safest airlines in 2023 - in pictures
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1. Qantas. The airline has taken first place in AirlineRatings.com's annual list of the safest airlines around the globe. Photo: AFP -
2. Air New Zealand. The airline has slipped down from first to second place in the ranking of 385 global airlines. Photo: AP -
3. Etihad Airways. The national carrier of the UAE is the highest-ranked Middle Eastern airline in the list. Photo: Etihad -
4. Qatar Airways. In fourth place, it's one of three Middle Eastern airlines in the top 20. Reuters -
5. Singapore Airlines. The carrier has slipped down one place from fourth. Reuters -
6. TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier airline of Portugal and ranks sixth in the 2023 ranking. Reuters / Rafael Marchante -
7. Emirates. The Dubai airline has climbed 13 places to rank as the seventh-safest airline in the world. Photo: Emirates -
8. Alaska Airlines. The carrier ranked the eighth-safest airline in the world for 2023. Photo: David Ryder / Bloomberg -
9. EVA Air. The Taiwanese airline holds its ninth place from 2022. EPA-EFE -
10. Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic. The airline rounds out the top 10. Photo: AFP -
11. Cathay Pacific. The Hong Kong airline ranks as one of the world's safest. Reuters -
12. Hawaiian Airlines. The carrier sits 12th in the list. Reuters -
13. SAS. The Scandinavian airline has fallen seven places in 2023. Photo: Carsten Snejbjerg / Bloomberg -
14. United Airlines. The carrier is one of several US airlines in the ranking. AP Photo -
15. Lufthansa. The German air carrier holds the 15th spot in the annual safety ranking. Reuters -
16. Finland's largest and flag carrier Finnair is the world's sixteenth safest airline. ReuterS / Phil Noble -
17. British Airways. The UK's flag carrier ranks in the world's safest airlines. Reuters -
18. KLM. The flag carrier of the Netherlands holds a spot in the top 20. Reuters -
19. American Airlines. The carrier has slipped to 19th in the annual list. Reuters / Joshua Roberts -
20. Delta Air Lines. The US airline rounds out the top 20. AP Photo
