Absence of communication between a Kingfisher Airlines flight carrying 50 people from Amritsar to Delhi and the Air Traffic Control (ATC) in New Delhi for about five to seven minutes led to a 'hijak' alert at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday evening.

The ATC sources said that turbo-propped ATR aircraft, during its 40-minute flight, was not in communication with the ATC for about seven minutes, triggering the alert issued by Indian Air Force (IAF) communication wing.

Security personnel at the airport were in a tizzy for a while following the alert, they said adding the picture became clear soon after the contact resumed between the plane and the ATC.