Today Indian Aviation (hoax) bomb threat news: Somendra Pandey (Airplane Beast)

The recent wave of bomb threats and emergency situations involving Indian airlines has sparked significant concern among passengers, authorities, and the aviation sector. Here’s a summary of key events and actions:

1. Bomb Threats Surge: Over the past week, more than 120 flights operated by Indian carriers, including IndiGo, Air India, Akasa, and Vistara, have received bomb threats. These threats, mostly circulated via social media platforms, have caused widespread disruption. On October 22 alone, 30 flights were targeted, leading to heightened security protocols

   
   

   

2. Airline Responses: Airlines have been adhering to standard operating procedures, notifying authorities, and implementing security protocols. Despite all threats being non-specific, three IndiGo flights to Jeddah were diverted to alternate destinations—Doha, Riyadh, and Medina. Similarly, other airlines received threats but continued to their destinations after the threats were deemed false.

3. Government Actions:

   • The Union Ministry of Electronics and IT criticized social media platform X (formerly Twitter) for being a conduit for spreading hoaxes. A virtual meeting was held with representatives of airlines, X, and Meta, demanding more stringent measures to prevent the circulation of false information.
     
   • Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu announced intentions to amend the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act. This change aims to address threats when an aircraft is on the ground, not just during flight, making such actions cognizable offenses.
     
   • Increased security measures have been enforced at airports, including more CCTV cameras and secondary checks of passengers’ hand baggage at boarding points.
     

4. Series of Emergency Landings: On October 22, six Indian aircraft declared emergencies within a 10-15 minute window. These incidents involved a mix of Air India (AI101), Akasa(QP1503, QP1451 & QP1563), and IndiGo (6E381) flights, all of which landed safely without incidents. The causes of these emergencies remain under investigation, but the spate of false bomb threats has raised speculation.

5. Thorough Investigation Underway: Security agencies are working to determine if there’s a pattern or potential conspiracy behind the threats. The Civil Aviation Ministry is in close communication with law enforcement to accelerate investigations, despite acknowledging that the current threats appear to be hoaxes.

This situation remains fluid, with heightened security measures and legal adjustments being put in place to address the challenges without compromising passenger safety

#Bombthreat