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Bomb threats: Menace continues as 14 flights receive threats on Thursday; at least 34 cases so far this week | Business News


The spate of bomb threats to flights of Indian airlines continued on Thursday with at least 14 flights receiving threats via social media. These include six flights of Air India Express, five flights of Air India, two of Vistara, and one of IndiGo.

With Thursday’s incidents, the number of confirmed instances of bomb threats to Indian carriers’ flights this week has risen to at least 34. All the threats came from unverified and anonymous accounts on social media platform X. Even as a few aircraft that got the threats on Thursday are being inspected per protocol, all other threats tuned out to be fake.

All the five threats to Air India came from one unverified X account @psychotichuman0. One of the five flights–AI 129–from Mumbai to London declared an emergency shortly before landing safely in London, per flight tracking data. The other Air India flights that received the threats were AI 101 (Delhi-New York), AI 186 (Vancouver-Delhi), AI 126 (Chicago-Delhi), and AI 119 (Mumbai-New York), it is learnt.

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“A number of Air India flights received a security threat on social media today. These have been duly reported to the regulatory bodies and all laid down procedures were strictly followed as per guidance of the regulatory bodies. All the five flights have made a safe landing. Air India is committed to and accords top priority to the safety and security of its passengers and crew,” an Air India official said.

Air India’s low-cost arm Air India Express is also learnt to have received bomb threats for six of its flights. The airline, however, did not confirm or comment on the issue.

Two Vistara flights–UK 28 (Frankfurt-Mumbai) and UK 22 (Paris-Delhi)–received bomb threats before landing. Both the aircraft landed at their respective intended destinations safely, and the threats were found to be fake.

“Vistara flight UK 028…was subject to a security threat received on social media. As per protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed. The aircraft safely landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai and was taken to the isolation bay where all customers were disembarked,” a Vistara spokesperson said.

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“Shortly before landing, Vistara flight UK 22 operating from Paris to Delhi on 16 October 2024 received a security threat on social media. In line with the protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed. The aircraft landed safely at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi and all necessary checks were conducted as per guidance by the security agencies,” the Vistara spokesperson said on the Paris-Delhi flight.

IndiGo’s Istanbul-Mumbai flight had also received a bomb threat. The aircraft landed in Mumbai and following the required security checks, the threat was found to be a hoax.

“Flight 6E 18, operating from Istanbul to Mumbai, received a security-related alert. Upon landing, the aircraft was isolated, and all passengers were safely disembarked. Ensuring the safety and security of our customers and crew remains paramount in all facets of our operations. We worked closely with the relevant authorities, and standard operating procedures were followed,” IndiGo said in a statement.

This spate of bomb threats started on Monday when three international flights of Indian carriers had received hoax bomb threats. Another ten flights had received threats on Tuesday, while on Wednesday, there were at least seven threats. All major scheduled Indian carriers have received these bomb threats, small regional carriers being the only exceptions.

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Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu Wednesday expressed deep concern over the “disruptive acts”. Stating that such “mischievous and unlawful” actions are a matter of grave concern, the minister condemned “attempts to compromise the safety, security and operational integrity of the aviation section.” Naidu also said that the Mumbai Police has apprehended a minor responsible for issuing bomb threats to three flights, and added that others responsible for the disruptions will be identified and prosecuted.

The relevant government ministries — including the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) — and agencies have gone into a huddle in view of these bomb threats, it is learnt. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is understood to be working closely with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to formalise an earlier proposal of putting the perpetrators of hoax bomb threats on the no-fly list.

Security agencies and police forces in different parts of the country are probing the threats and trying to trace and nab those behind them. Sources indicated that security has been tightened and emergency response personnel put on alert at various Indian airports.

Although most bomb threats turn out to be fake, airlines as well as aviation authorities globally take them with utmost seriousness. The security checks, which often take a few hours, result in disruptions like delays and even rescheduling of the remainder of the flight in some cases, which hit the airlines financially.

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When an aircraft receives a bomb threat deemed as a specific threat, a detailed security protocol is followed which could include diverting the aircraft to a suitable nearby airport and taking it to an isolated bay, where passengers are quickly made to deplane. The aircraft as well as passengers’ bags are subject to a thorough security inspection before being allowed to take off again.

After the screening and security checks, if the threat is found to be a hoax, the aircraft is released for operations.



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