Stricter norms, no-fly list: Govt’s plan to prevent hoax bomb threat to airlines

Airline bomb threat hoaxes: Amid multiple bomb threat hoaxes to airlines in the past four days, the government is planning to implement stricter norms. As many as 20 flights have received bomb threats in the past few days, disrupting flight operations of multiple airlines. 

The Ministry of Civil Aviation now plans to put in place strict norms to prevent such incidents, including putting perpetrators on a no-flying list. The ministry is looking to amend existing rules, including those related to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). It aims to ensure stringent punishments for the miscreants. 

Further legal options are also being explored in order to make changes in the rules. The ministry is also exploring provisions being followed in foreign countries to deal with hoax bomb threats.

According to a ministry official, if necessary, legislative amendments will be explored to deter people from making hoax bomb threats to airlines. 

Currently there are norms against unruly passenger behaviour onboard flights but rarely anything to deal with hoax threats. At present, action against such miscreants are taken by the police under criminal laws.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu has said that law enforcement agencies are actively pursuing all cases of bomb threats. The Mumbai Police has detained a teenager from Chhattisgarh, involved in issuing hoax bomb threats to three flights. His involvement in other hoax threats are yet to be ascertained. He has been sent to the juvenile justice board.