In a concerning development, at least 50 flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats on Sunday, with two being diverted mid-flight. The threats, most of which were issued through social media, have heightened security concerns across the aviation sector. Over the past 14 days, more than 350 flights operated by Indian carriers have been targeted by hoax bomb threats, causing significant disruptions.
Akasa Air reported that 15 of its flights received security alerts on Sunday. "After thorough inspections, all aircraft were cleared for operations," the airline said in a statement. IndiGo confirmed it faced similar threats for 18 of its flights, while Vistara reported 17 such incidents.
IndiGo officials said two of their flights had to be diverted as a result of the threats. Flight 6E 133, traveling from Pune to Jodhpur, was rerouted to Ahmedabad, and 6E 87 from Kozhikode to Dammam was diverted to Mumbai.
According to an IndiGo statement, the flights that received security-related alerts include 6E 11 (Delhi-Istanbul), 6E 92 (Jeddah-Mumbai), 6E 112 (Goa-Ahmedabad), 6E 125 (Bengaluru-Jharsuguda), 6E 127 (Amritsar-Ahmedabad) and 6E 135 (Kolkata-Pune). Among others are 6E 149 (Hyderabad to Bagdogra), 6E 173 (Delhi to Bengaluru), 6E 175 (Bengaluru to Delhi), 6E 197 (Raipur to Hyderabad), 6E 248 (Mumbai to Kolkata), 6E 277 (Ahmedabad-Lucknow), 6E 312 (Bengaluru to Kolkata), 6E 235 (Kolkata-Bengaluru) and 6E 74 (Riyadh-Mumbai).
Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu addressed the surge in hoax threats, saying the government is considering banning individuals involved in such actions from flying. "Besides amending two civil aviation laws, we are working with international agencies, law enforcement, and the Intelligence Bureau to prevent these fake threats," Naidu stated.
The IT Ministry has also instructed social media platforms to adhere strictly to diligence obligations and to disable access to misinformation promptly, following the prescribed timelines under the Information Technology (IT) rules.