In a troubling wave of incidents, more than 10 flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats within a 24-hour period, prompting extensive security checks and flight diversions. Among those targeted were five flights each from IndiGo and Akasa, along with three Vistara aircraft and one Air India Express flight.
Early Saturday, three international Vistara flights received bomb threats, all of which were ultimately deemed hoaxes following thorough investigations. Notably, a Vistara flight from Delhi to London was diverted to Frankfurt for security checks and resumed its journey once no threats were confirmed. The other two Vistara flights, headed to Paris and Hong Kong, landed safely, where they underwent additional security procedures.
An Air India Express flight from Dubai to Jaipur, carrying 189 passengers, also received a bomb threat via email. However, a detailed check at Jaipur Airport revealed no suspicious activity.
The IndiGo flights that faced threats included 6E 17 from Mumbai to Istanbul, 6E 11 from Delhi to Istanbul, and 6E 184 from Jodhpur to Delhi. Additionally, Akasa Air’s flight QP 1366, scheduled to depart from Bengaluru to Mumbai, was alerted to a potential security issue shortly before takeoff.
In total, around 70 hoax calls have been reported this week across various airlines, all of which turned out to be false alarms. Investigating agencies have identified recurring phrases used in these threats, including “bombs,” “blood will spread everywhere,” and “this is not a joke,” among others.
Authorities detained a 17-year-old boy from Chhattisgarh in connection with threats made against three flights from Mumbai on October 14. Some of the IP addresses linked to the threats were traced to international locations, including London. Police are currently working with Virtual Private Network (VPN) service providers and social media platforms to gather more information, as VPNs can obscure the physical locations of the devices involved.
In response to this wave of threats, the Civil Aviation Ministry is planning to implement stricter regulations aimed at preventing hoax bomb threats, which may include placing offenders on a no-fly list.
