Bomb threats to at least 170 Indian flights this past week

At least 50 domestic and international flights of Indian carriers received bomb threats on Oct 22, taking the total number of flights that have received such threats to around 80 during the past 48 hours.

Over 170 flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats in over a week, according to airlines, prompting the Civil Aviation Ministry to consider taking legislative measures to deal with bomb threats to airlines, including placing the perpetrators on the no-fly list.

Sources in the Indian airlines were quoted as saying that at least 13 flights each of Air India and IndiGo, over 12 flights of Akasa Air and 11 flights of Vistara received the threats on Oct 22.

At least 10 flights each of Air India, IndiGo, and Vistara received the threats a day before, with three Jeddah-bound IndiGo flights getting diverted to airports in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

In the wake of rising bomb threats, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Oct 21 said, “Even though bomb threats are hoaxes, things cannot be ignored. We are considering to amend the Aircraft Security Rules and put individuals responsible for such threats on the no-fly list. ”

“Also, changes are being planned to aircraft security rules to ensure stringent punishment for perpetrators of bomb threats to flights. We are examining amendments to the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982," Naidu told reporters.

An Akasa Air spokesperson was quoted as saying some of its flights operating on Oct 22 received security alerts and that the airline is following all safety and security procedures in coordination with local authorities.

The airline did not mention the number of flights that received the security alerts.

There were no immediate statements from IndiGo, Air India, and Vistara on the threats for their flights received on Oct 22.

An IndiGo spokesperson was quoted on Oct 22 as saying that 10 flights received security-related alerts and passengers from the respective aircraft disembarked safely. This was in relation to the threats received on Oct 21 night.

Out of these flights, flight 6E 77 — Bengaluru to Jeddah — was diverted to Doha, 6E 65 — Kozhikode to Jeddah— was diverted to Riyadh, and 6E 63 — Delhi to Jeddah — was redirected to Medina.

The other flights of IndiGo that received threats were 6E 83 — Delhi to Dammam — 6E 18 — Istanbul to Mumbai — 6E 12 — Istanbul to Delhi — 6E 164 — Mangaluru to Mumbai —6E 75 — Ahmedabad to Jeddah — 6E 67 — Hyderabad to Jeddah — and 6E 118 — Lucknow to Pune, according to statements from the airline.

An Air India spokesperson on Oct 22 confirmed that some Air India flights that operated on Oct 21 were subject to security threats received on social media.

"Following the laid down protocols, relevant authorities were immediately alerted, and all security procedures strictly adhered to, as per guidance from the regulatory authorities and security agencies," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The airline did not mention details or the number of flights that had received the threats on Oct 21.

A Vistara spokesperson in a statement on Oct 22 said a few of its flights that operated a day before received security threats on social media.

"We immediately alerted the relevant authorities and are following all security procedures as directed by them," the spokesperson said. The statement did not reveal specific details.

The aviation ministry may also propose amendments to The Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act (SUASCA), 1982, whereby the perpetrators could be arrested and a probe can be initiated without a court order for offenses when an aircraft is on the ground.

Also, changes are being planned to aircraft security rules to ensure stringent punishment for perpetrators of bomb threats to flights, Naidu told reporters on Oct 21.