Nearly 300 flights operated by various Indian carriers have received bomb threats over the past two weeks. Hoax messages shared on Friday disrupted around seven flights each for IndiGo, Vistara and SpiceJet as well as six Air India planes. Over 70 flights were disrupted by similar threat messages on Thursday — including international flights.
The barrage of threat messages have left civil aviation stakeholders alarmed and disrupted operations as most major airports over the past two weeks. Thousands of passengers have also been forced to contend with extensive delays as the warnings forced officials to undertake thorough inspections. Some planes were also forced to make emergency landings after receiving bomb threats in mid-air.
“We are deeply concerned In the wake of recent hoax bomb threats disrupting air travel. I assure you that safety and security are our highest priorities, and we are committed to taking strict action against those behind these malicious acts. Let’s work together to ensure safe skies for all,” said Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Friday evening.
"Flight 6E 2099, operating from Udaipur to Delhi, received a bomb threat. Following security agency guidelines, the aircraft was redirected to isolation bay before take-off and standard operating procedures were followed. All passengers were safely disembarked," a spokesperson for IndiGo said on Friday.
Six other IndiGo flights — including routes connecting Indian cities to Istanbul and Jeddah — also received threats on Friday. Similar warnings were also sent to multiple Spicejet, Air India and Vistara planes.
Earlier on Wednesday, an unidentified caller had also threatened to blow up the Dumna airport at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. Hoax messages have also affected the same route multiple times in some cases.
Unknown miscreants threatened to blow up Indigo flight 6E133 from Pune to Jodhpur on Wednesday — for the second time this week. The plane landed at the isolation bay of Jodhpur airport before being searched by police and CISF officials. A bomb disposal squad and a dog squad were also called to the scene. Officials said passengers' luggage as well as every nook and corner of the flight was thoroughly searched before the plane was allowed take off for its further destination.
Approximately 275 flights operated by different Indian airlines have been hit by a barrage of hoax bomb threats over the past 12 days. Most of the threats were issued via social media and the Indian government has asked Meta and X to share data about the messages.
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu also indicated earlier this week that the government planned to take legislative actions to deal with instances of bomb threats to airlines, including placing perpetrators of such threats in the no-fly list.
(With inputs from agencies)
