Govt monitoring situation of bomb threats to airlines: Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu

Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday said the Central government is closely monitoring the situation of bomb threats to airlines and law enforcement agencies are pursuing all cases actively. He stressed that the safety and security of passengers is the government’s top priority.

"I am deeply concerned over the recent disruptive acts targeting Indian airlines, affecting the domestic and international operations...In response, I had chaired a high-level committee on 14th October comprising officials from DGCA, BCAS, CISF, MHA and MoCA. I am monitoring the situation regularly, and our law enforcement agencies are pursuing all the cases actively," said Naidu in an official statement.

Naidu further said Mumbai Police has arrested a minor responsible for issuing bomb threats targeting 3 flights.

He said: "Such mischievous and unlawful actions are a matter of grave concern, and I strongly condemn any attempts to compromise the safety, security, and operational integrity of our aviation sector."

In less than 24 hours, there were bomb threats reported on 9 flights, bringing the total number of threats to at least 12 within a span of three days. The threats, which were communicated through social media, were later confirmed to be false alarms.

On Wednesday, bomb threats were directed towards four flights operated by IndiGo, two by SpiceJet, and one by Akasa Air. Additionally, on Tuesday night, one flight each from Vistara and Air India Express received similar threats. IndiGo specifically received threats for three flights, including the Riyadh-Mumbai flight 6E 74, which had to be diverted to Muscat, Oman. Riyadh is the capital city of Saudi Arabia.

Flight 6E 1011 from Mumbai to Singapore was disrupted due to a security alert, leading to the aircraft landing in Singapore to address the situation. Similarly, IndiGo's flight 6E 515 on the route from Chennai to Lucknow also encountered a security alert, resulting in the aircraft being stationed at a designated bay upon landing in Lucknow. All passengers were successfully disembarked from the aircraft in a safe manner.

On October 15, Vistara flight UK 161 traveling from Delhi to Hong Kong was alerted to a security threat via social media. The flight arrived safely at Hong Kong early Wednesday morning, and underwent all necessary security checks before being deemed fit to continue operations, as confirmed by a statement from the airline's spokesperson. 

Similarly, Air India Express flight IX 437 from Kochi to Dubai faced a bomb threat on Tuesday night, but landed safely in Dubai as reported by sources familiar with the situation.

Delhi Police on Wednesday said an FIR has been registered under sections 217 and 351(4) of the BNS, as well as section 3(1)(d) of The Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, in connection with the recent hoax bomb threat concerning Akasa Air flight. "A detailed investigation is currently underway. Additionally, after coordination with the concerned social media platform, all accounts responsible for spreading these false threats have been suspended to prevent further misuse and ensure public safety," the police said.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport convened a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the matter. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu conducted talks with ministry officials and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regarding the issue. The Ministry is collaborating with law enforcement to track down the origin of these false calls, with intentions of adding the perpetrators to a "no-fly list" upon their capture.

The minister, in his statement, said: "I assure all stakeholders, including passengers and industry partners, that every possible effort is being made to safeguard operations."