At least 10 Indian have flights received hoax bomb threats over the past 48 hours, leading to long delays and diversions. On Tuesday the Singapore’s Air force set twenty Fighters jet to escort an Air for India Express plane away from populated areas following a bomb threat.
Hours before that , an Air India plane from Delhi to Chicago had to land at a Canadian airport as a precautionary measure. That Hoax bomb threats to airlines are not unusual in India but it’s not clear what triggered the sudden surge since Monday.
Officials from the Government’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security did not respond email as comments. Apart from Air India , IndiGo, SpiceJet and Akasa Airflights also received threats.On Monday , three international frights that took off from Mumbai were diverted or delayed after an X handle posted threads and Police have detained a teenager in the connection with this.
On Tuesday , Seven flights including the two Air India planes, were also affected by the threats issued by another X handle which has now suspended. The Screenshots shows the user tagged the India airlines and local police and mentioned the flights number.
Air India said in the statement that it was co operating with authorities to identify the people behind the threats and would consider legal action to recover damaged incurred. Every India Airport has a bomb threat Assessment Committee which assesses the gravity of the threats and takes the action accordingly. A threats can lead to the involvement of the bomb disposal Squad, sniffer dogs, ambulances, Police and doctors.
The passengers are off loaded from the plane along with the cabin baggage , check in the baggage and cargo and they are screened again. Engineering and security team also searched the plane before it is cleared for flying again. The result delay can cost thousands of dollars in the damages to airlines and security agencies.