Bomb scares against Indian airlines continued on Tuesday as 10 IndiGo flights, both domestic and international, received fresh bomb threats, the airline said.
The affected IndiGo flights included 6E-63 Delhi-Jeddah, 6E-12 Istanbul-Delhi, 6E-83 Delhi-Dammam, 6E-65 Kozhikode-Jeddah, 6E-67 Hyderabad-Jeddah, 6E-77 Bengaluru-Jeddah, 6E-18 Istanbul-Mumbai, 6E-164 Mangalore-Mumbai, 6E-118 Lucknow-Pune, and 6E-75 Ahmedabad-Jeddah, the airline confirmed.
At IndiGo, the safety of our customers and crew remains paramount in all facets of our operations,” the carrier said, adding that “standard operating procedures were followed” and that it had worked closely with the relevant authorities. “We sincerely regret any inconvenience it may have caused our customers and appreciate their understanding,” it added.
Sources in the airlines also confirmed that apart from IndiGo, 10 Vistara flights were sounded by security agencies on Monday and Tuesday, leading to full-scale security checks at airports and flights.
A Vistara spokesperson said, “We confirm that some of Vistara’s flights operating on 21 October 2024 received security threats on social media. We have informed the authorities, and are strictly following all security procedures as mandated by them. Safety and security of our customers, crew, and aircraft are always Vistara’s top priorities.”
Reports said about 30 flights, both domestic and international, remained grounded or were made turnaround Monday due to bomb threats. Flights operated by IndiGo, Vistara, and Air India among others were affected, causing significant disruption in the aviation operation throughout the week.
More than 120 flights operated by Indian carriers faced bomb threats in just over a week. Even though most of those were hoaxes, the airlines had to follow stern protocols, which indeed led to operational challenges.
This menace should be taken seriously,” Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said while speaking about the issue. “The government will move an amendment to the aviation security rules which will provide for the stipulation of life imprisonment for those who concoct false bomb threat and post them on social media and also put them on a no-fly list.”.
Naidu also revealed that the government was set to prepare legislative measures to check the growing number of bomb threats that have been scaring airlines, airports, and passengers. Amendments were being proposed to Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, where severe punishment would be provided.
We have another act in place since 1980s, we need to cover the offences on ground and at airports, said Naidu, adding that the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is in ongoing communication with the home ministry to address the current wave of bomb threats.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has now recommended that bomb threats, even from ground, should receive life imprisonment; this will expand the provisions already included in the law provisions, which the current law already includes onboard.
