As Indian carriers stay vigilant due to rising threats, nearly 85 flights received new bomb threats on Thursday, October 24. This includes 20 Air India, 20 IndiGo, 20 Vistara, and 25 Akasa Air flights.
This follows the Centre’s criticism of social media platform X (formerly Twitter) for its handling of hoax bomb threats to domestic and international flights. Indian carriers have been greatly impacted by these threats, leading to widespread disruptions and security concerns.
According to media reports, a virtual meeting was convened on the evening of October 22 to discuss the issue. The meeting was chaired by Joint Secretary Sanket S. Bhondve and included airline officials from Vistara and Air India, along with representatives from X and Meta.
On Tuesday, at least 50 domestic and international flights operated by Indian carriers received bomb threats, bringing the total number of flight threats since Monday night to approximately 80.
Of the 50 flights affected on Tuesday, 13 belonged to Air India and IndiGo, while 11 Vistara flights and 12 Akasa Air flights were involved. On Monday night, 10 flights each from IndiGo, Air India, and Vistara received similar threats. As a result, three Jeddah-bound IndiGo flights had to divert to airports in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
In the past week, over 170 flights operated by Indian carriers have faced bomb threats. Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu stated that while these threats are often hoaxes, they cannot be taken lightly.
The government is considering legislative measures, including placing offenders on a no-fly list and proposing amendments to The Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation Act (SUASCA), 1982, allowing for immediate arrests and investigations without a court order. This would also apply to offenses occurring when an aircraft is on the ground. Additionally, changes to aircraft security rules are being planned to impose stricter penalties on those who make bomb threats.