Hoax bomb threats continued to disrupt the aviation sector for the seventh consecutive day on Sunday, grounding planes and unnerving passengers.
As many as 25 flights across major carriers—IndiGo, Vistara, Air India and Akasa Air—were forced into emergency security measures after receiving hoax threats. Since October 14, over 90 Indian flights have been affected by similar bomb scares.
Though these threats turned out to be fake, the fallout is real: delayed flights, disrupted schedules, and mounting anxiety among passengers and airlines.
“We received security threats on six of our flights,” a Vistara spokesperson said, listing major international routes — Delhi to Frankfurt, Singapore to Mumbai, Bali to Delhi, Singapore to Delhi, Singapore to Pune, and Mumbai to Singapore.
Six of the affected IndiGo flights included those on the Delhi-Istanbul, Mumbai-Istanbul, Jeddah-Mumbai, Kozhikode-Dammam in Saudi Arabia, Pune-Jodhpur, and Goa-Ahmedabad sectors.
Akasa Air said six flights — Ahmedabad to Mumbai, Delhi to Goa, Mumbai to Bagdogra, Delhi to Hyderabad, Kochi to Mumbai and Lucknow to Mumbai — received security alerts. “The Akasa Air Emergency Response teams were in touch with security and regulatory authorities,” said an airline spokesperson.
Sources said six Air India flights, too, faced a similar situation though its officials did not share the number. They, however, confirmed that some flights were subject to security threats received on social media. “Following the laid down protocols, relevant authorities were immediately alerted, and all security procedures strictly adhered to, as per guidance from the regulatory authorities and security agencies,” said an official.
While the source of bomb threats has largely been confined to social media, their growing number and frequency are a cause of concern.
On Sunday, a handle on social media platform X that had issued bomb threats to some flights was blocked.https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Oct/21/90-and-counting-as-25-more-indian-flights-get-hoax-bomb-threats