Bomb Threats on Flights: Hoax Callers To Be Put On No-Fly List | What We Know So Far

Bomb Threats On Flights: The government is on high alert after a series of bomb threats have affected flight operations across various Indian air carriers in the past three days. Till now, at least 12 flights comprising of different airlines have received bomb threats, triggering panic among the aviation ministry, flight officials and passengers. 

• A total of 13 flights have received bomb threat calls in last three days ie Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. These are: 

1. Air India AI 103 Delhi to New York
2. IndiGo's 6E 651 Mumbai-Delhi Flight 
3. Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight QP 1335 
4. Air India Delhi-Chicago Flight
5. Dammam-Lucknow IndiGo Flight
6. Ayodhya-Bengaluru Air India Express
7. SpiceJet flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai (SG116)
8. Akasa Air flight from Bagdogra to Bengaluru (QP 1373)
9. Alliance Air Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight (9I 650)
10. Air India Express flight (IX 684) from Madurai to Singapore
11. IndiGo flight 6E1275 bound for Muscat
12. IndiGo Flight 6E56 heading to Jeddah
13. Air India Flight ⁠AI119 from Mumbai to New York

• So far, all these bomb threat calls have turned out to be hoax but the developments have been a pain for the authorities. 
• The government has decided to deploy flight marshals on sensitive routes.
• The government on Tuesday night convened a high-level meeting as flights continue to receive bomb threats.
• Ministry of Home Affairs has sought reports on series of bomb hoax calls to airlines. 
• In the last 48 hours, at least 13 bomb threats have been received by various airlines on domestic and international routes, all found to be hoaxes.
• A senior official has confirmed that MHA has instructed the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Bureau of Civil Aviation, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to submit a report on bomb threats that have been received recently.
• Senior officials of MHA have instructed all concerned security agencies in the aviation sector to prepare a report on the matter and submit it at the earliest. The investigation will be monitored by the central intelligence agency to find out if it was a conspiracy to damage the reputation Indian aviation sector," said the official.

Cyber units on alert  

Officials said that they have also alerted cyber units to be on alert and track the social media accounts posting threats. Most of the accounts that have posted threats were found to be operated from outside the country. They have got these accounts suspended as soon they come to notice.

Govt convenes high-level meeting 

• On Tuesday, Ministry of Civil Aviation convened a high-level meeting after over 10 bomb threats target airplanes.
• Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu on Monday held a meeting with the Bureau of Civil Aviation, CISF, and other senior officials in airport security over the bomb threats.
•  Sources in CISF have confirmed that more than 10 bomb threats have been received on social media in last 24 hours.
• "We have identified and suspended several accounts that were posting threats on social media regarding bombs in airplanes. It has been informed some threats were originated from London and from other countries, a senior police officer said.
• In the last 24 hours, we have received several bomb threats in many sectors. We are taking up all the calls and also informed concerned police officers regarding the threat to identify the person behind it," said an officer in airport security.
• A senior officer in airport security said that every threat is important to them and they can ignore it as it is a matter of passengers' safety
• After we receive a threat, we inform airlines and the concerned security officer at the airport for further procedure, the officer said.