Bomb threats to Indian flights continue: Air India, Vistara, Akasa Air and IndiGo planes receive fresh security alerts

Bomb threats to Indian flights: As many as 70 new bomb threats were reported on Thursday, impacting major Indian airlines like Air India, Vistara, Akasa Air and IndiGo, PTI reported, quoting sources.

An Akasa Air spokesperson said some of its flights operating on October 24 have received security alerts.

“The Akasa Air Emergency Response teams are monitoring the situation and are in touch with the security and regulatory authorities. We are following all safety and security procedures in coordination with local authorities,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“Some Air India flights were subject to security threats received on social media on 24th October 2024. Following the laid down protocols, relevant authorities were immediately alerted, and all security procedures strictly adhered to, as per guidance from the regulatory authorities. The safety and security of our passengers, crew, and aircraft remain our top priority,” said an Air India official.

Around 20 domestic and international flights of IndiGo Airlines received a security-related alert.

"All customers were safely disembarked. We worked closely with the relevant authorities, and standard operating procedures were followed," said the airline in a statement.

These incidents add to an alarming trend, with nearly 250 flights receiving bomb threats over the past 10 days. Although these threats have been hoaxes, they have caused significant disruptions, forcing flight diversions and leaving passengers and authorities on edge.

The bomb threats, have kept thousands of passengers and security agencies on tenterhooks and even forced the diversion of some international flights.

The government also plans to put in place strict norms to prevent incidents of hoax bomb threats to airlines.

Centre slams X, Meta

In view of growing threats, the Centre on Wednesday held a virtual meeting with airline officials and social media platforms and pulled them up for not acting against “miscreants using its platforms to send threat messages to various airlines.”

Joint Secretary Sanket S Bhondve chaired the meeting, during which the Union Ministry of Electronics and IT asked X and Meta to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based solutions to block the accounts that have been sending messages.

Bomb threats

On Wednesday, nearly 80 domestic and international flights reportedly received bomb threats.

On Tuesday alone, around 50 flights, including IndiGo, Air India, Akasa Air and Vistara, received threats.

On Monday, around 30 flights got bomb threats.

Loss to Airlines

According to PTI, an official who has worked in the finance department of a domestic airline said that, on average, disruption to a domestic flight would cost around ₹1.5 crore, while the expenses would be around ₹5- ₹5.5 crore for an international flight.

Govt mulls legislative actions

Earlier this week, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the government plans to take legislative actions to deal with instances of bomb threats to airlines, including placing perpetrators of such threats on the no-fly list. He stated that amendments are being planned to aviation security rules as well as the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982.