Over 30 domestic, international flights receive bomb scares-Telangana Today

According to sources, IndiGo, Vistara and Air India flights were among those which received bomb threats.

New Delhi: As many as 30 domestic and international flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats on Monday evening, according to sources. Flights of IndiGo, Vistara and Air India were among those that received bomb threats, the sources in the know said.

An IndiGo spokesperson said Tuesday that four of its flights received security-related alerts on Monday. These are 6E 164 (Mangaluru to Mumbai), 6E 75 (Ahmedabad to Jeddah), 6E 67 (Hyderabad to Jeddah) and 6E 118 (Lucknow to Pune).

Passengers on those flights disembarked safely, according to four separate airline statements. “We worked closely with the relevant authorities and standard operating procedures were followed,” the spokesperson said of the security alerts linked to the four flights.

An Air India spokesperson confirmed that some Air India flights operated on Monday were subject to security threats received on social media.

“Following established protocols, the relevant authorities were immediately alerted and all safety procedures were strictly adhered to, in accordance with the directives of regulatory authorities and security agencies,” the spokesperson said in a statement. A Vistara spokesperson said some of its flights operated on Monday had received security threats on social media.

“We immediately alerted the relevant authorities and are following all safety procedures they have prescribed,” the spokesperson said in a statement. In just over a week, more than 120 flights operated by Indian companies have been the subject of bomb threats.

Even if bomb threats are hoaxes, things cannot be taken seriously, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Monday. At the same time, the government is considering legislative measures to combat bomb threats against airlines, including putting perpetrators of these attacks on a no-fly list.

Amendments are proposed to the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Civil Aviation Safety Act 1982 (SUASCA), under which perpetrators could be arrested and an investigation opened without a court order for offenses committed when a plane is on the ground.

In addition, changes are planned in aircraft safety rules to ensure strict sanctions for those who make bomb threats against flights.