Hoax bomb threats: Government exploring stricter norms including putting culprits on no-fly list | Business News

Currently, such hoax bomb threats are dealt with in accordance with the country’s criminal laws, as there are no legal provisions dealing specifically with bomb threats to aircraft, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. While the standard operating procedures and security protocols are well-defined once a threat has been received, there is not much in regulations to prevent hoax bomb threats to aircraft.

“We want rules that can act as a deterrent…we want to set an example so that no one thinks of committing such mischievous acts,” said the MoCA official. The official added that with access to social media and virtual private network (VPN) services, it has become quite easy for miscreants to send out anonymous bomb threats, while making it difficult for the security agencies to track them.

“We are looking at what we can do at our end in terms of civil aviation regulations…our legal team is working on it and we are in touch with the law ministry as well. We are also talking to the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) as internal security is under their purview. They are also looking at the cybersecurity part,” the MoCA official said.

The government is also studying anti-hoax provisions that are followed in various other countries, which can be incorporated in the regulations in India. Guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) are also being studied. If required, MoCA is willing to push for amendments in legislation as well to enable stricter provisions, the official added.

At least 20 flights of major Indian airlines have received hoax bomb threats this week. 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.

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.