Air India Express flight IX-196 from Dubai gets bomb threat via email

An Air India Express flight IX-196 flying from Dubai to Jaipur, with 189 passengers onboard, received a bomb threat via email. The plane landed at the Jaipur International Airport at 1:20 am, ANI reported.

Also Read: Bomb threats to airlines: Minor held, ‘revenge’ suspected; Minister Rammohan Naidu says ‘others will be duly prosecuted’

 Jaipur Airport Police SHO Sandeep Basera told ANI, “After a thorough check by the security forces, nothing suspicious was found.”

Earlier on Friday, a London-bound Vistara flight from Delhi was diverted to Frankfurt due to a bomb threat. An airline spokesperson confirmed that the flight landed safely at Frankfurt Airport, where mandatory security checks are currently underway. The flight is expected to resume its journey to London once it receives clearance from security agencies.

"Vistara flight UK17, operating from Delhi to London on October 18, 2024, received a security threat on social media. In line with the protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed and as a precautionary measure, the pilots decided to divert the flight to Frankfurt," the spokesperson said.

In recent days, nearly 40 flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats, all of which have been confirmed as hoaxes. In response, the Civil Aviation Ministry is set to implement strict measures to deter such incidents, including placing offenders on a no-fly list.

Also Read: ’Pranksters, minors behind hoax bomb threats to flights’: Govt mulls no-fly list option against perpetrators

“The accused person will be put on a no-fly list,” said a senior official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday, PTI reported.

The official said that a committee will be formed in consultation with the law ministry and Ministry of Home Affairs to prepare a draft to amend the Aircraft Act, 1934, and Aircraft Rules, 1937, and subordinate legislations to ensure a 5-year imprisonment and place offenders on a no-fly list for hoax bomb threats on flights.

PTI reported citing officials that the government aims to establish strong deterrents against bomb hoax threats, which have surged in recent days. In just the past four days, at least 26 hoax threats have targeted major airlines in India. 

A senior official from a leading Indian airline described these threats as attempts to disrupt the rapidly growing aviation sector, noting that such hoaxes lead to aircraft diversions and delays, causing financial losses and significant inconvenience for both airlines and passengers, PTI reported.

On recent hoax bomb calls to various flights, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Thursday said, "Action is being taken on this. We can't comment on any kind of a conspiracy but from whatever little bit we know these calls are coming from some minors and pranksters. These are all minor and isolated incidents. There is no kind of conspiracy that we can comment on. From our side, we are going to see what best we can do. We are talking to the airlines, security agencies, within the ministry also. Consultations are going on."

(With inputs from PTI)