The rising number of such incidents has raised significant concerns within the aviation industry, prompting authorities to intensify efforts to safeguard passengers and flight operations. Most of these threats have been communicated via social media platforms.
Akasa Air and IndiGo get bomb threats on Sunday
Akasa Air, one of India’s new entrants in the aviation sector, reported that 15 of its flights received bomb threats on Sunday. The airline confirmed that after thorough inspections, all aircraft were cleared to resume normal operations.
Meanwhile, IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced bomb threats for 18 of its flights, with two being diverted for emergency checks. Flight 6E 133 from Pune to Jodhpur was diverted to Ahmedabad, while flight 6E 87 from Kozhikode to Dammam was redirected to Mumbai. Vistara, another leading airline, received threats on 17 flights.
IndiGo flights that received threats:
6E 11 – Delhi to Istanbul
6E 92 – Jeddah to Mumbai
6E 112 – Goa to Ahmedabad
6E 125 – Bengaluru to Jharsuguda
6E 127 – Amritsar to Ahmedabad
6E 135 – Kolkata to Pune
6E 149 – Hyderabad to Bagdogra
6E 173 – Delhi to Bengaluru
6E 175 – Bengaluru to Delhi
6E 197 – Raipur to Hyderabad
6E 248 – Mumbai to Kolkata
6E 277 – Ahmedabad to Lucknow
6E 312 – Bengaluru to Kolkata
6E 235 – Kolkata to Bengaluru
6E 74 – Riyadh to Mumbai
Government response and law amendments
Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu announced on Sunday that the central government is considering stricter measures to curb these hoax bomb threats, including banning perpetrators from flying. He also revealed that the government is exploring amendments to two civil aviation laws to address the growing issue more effectively.
“We are also collaborating with international agencies, law enforcement bodies, and the Intelligence Bureau to prevent these threats from disrupting operations further,” the minister said.
Additionally, the Information Technology Ministry has urged social media platforms to ensure prompt removal of misinformation, especially threats, within the prescribed timelines under IT rules.
Hotels in Tirupati and Lucknow get similar threats
Beyond airlines, bomb threats have also targeted hotels. In Tirupati, about half a dozen hotels received bomb threats via email over the past three days. Police responded swiftly by evacuating the hotels and conducting thorough searches, all of which proved the threats to be false.
“We reacted swiftly when we received complaints and our teams conducted thorough checks. But they (fake email threats) turned out to be fake. We are booking cases and investigations into these are going on,” L Subbarayudu, Superintendent of Police Tirupati told news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) on Sunday.
In Lucknow, at least 10 hotels received bomb threats demanding a ransom of $55,000. The email claimed bombs were hidden in black bags and would detonate if the ransom was not paid. Local authorities are investigating the threats with the help of the cyber crimes wing.
“Bombs are hidden in black bags on the grounds of your hotel. I want $55,000, or I will detonate the explosives and blood will spill everywhere. Any attempt at defusing the bombs will detonate them,” PTI quoted from a threat email.
Brajesh Kumar, a manager of one of the hotels, told PTI Videos, “We received the threat mail in the morning. As a precaution we reported the matter to the local police station and a team has come to look into the matter.” “We already have systems to scan all the guests and their luggage. Even then, as a precaution we are helping the police to scan the hotel,” he added.
