Amid a series of bomb hoaxes affecting multiple flights over the past few days, at least 95 flights from IndiGo, Air India, Vistara, SpiceJet, Alliance Air, and Akasa Air received similar threats on Thursday. This incident has now impacted over 250 flights in the last ten days.
Officials reported that 25 Akasa Air flights, 20 from Air India, 20 from IndiGo, 20 from Vistara, and five each from SpiceJet and Alliance Air were targeted by these threats.
Before this latest occurrence, more than 170 flights had already received bomb threats, predominantly originating from social media, which ultimately proved to be hoaxes, causing significant inconvenience for passengers and posing a challenge for security forces and aviation authorities.
In response to these threats, the government plans to place individuals involved in making hoax calls on a no-fly list. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu announced that making hoax bomb threats to airlines would become a cognizable offense.
The flights affected include services from Akasa Air, Air India, IndiGo, and Vistara, operating from Delhi and other locations to various domestic and international destinations.
The Delhi Police have filed eight cases related to the bomb threats, and according to a senior police official, the threat messages were received via anonymous posts on X, which were subsequently suspended by authorities.
On October 19, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) held a meeting with airline CEOs and representatives in Delhi to address the issue.
Earlier on Wednesday, the central government reprimanded social media platform X for its role in the situation, stating it amounted to “abetting crime.”
In an exclusive interview with India Today TV’s Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, Ram Mohan Naidu stated that the government was adhering to all necessary protocols and was managing the situation effectively.
When asked if the threats were part of a larger conspiracy, the minister advised caution, saying, “I wouldn’t make any hasty decision on this. Let us wait for the thorough investigation to happen. Once we get hold of who is behind this, only then can we tell if there is a conspiracy or if there is some intention regarding the festive season or trying to affect the airlines.”
The Civil Aviation Minister underscored the role of social media and cyber channels in these threats, mentioning that while many IP addresses might indicate foreign locations, they could be rerouted through VPNs, complicating the investigation.
“It is not exactly my purview to tell where exactly it is coming from; the intelligence agency, the necessary departments, they’re all looking through it,” he said. However, he reassured the public that “we are putting in all the efforts that are required, so that our skies are safe.”
