New Delhi, Oct 19: The recent wave of bomb threats targeting major Indian airlines continued, affecting two more flights in the last 24 hours. A Vistara flight from Delhi to London and an Air India Express flight from Dubai to Jaipur were both subjected to security threats, bringing the total to at least 37 incidents reported in the past week.
On October 18, a Vistara flight (UK17) was diverted to Frankfurt after receiving a social media threat. The airline promptly notified the relevant authorities, and the aircraft landed safely at Frankfurt Airport, where mandatory security checks were conducted before resuming its journey.
Later that night, an Air India Express flight (IX-196) carrying 189 passengers from Dubai to Jaipur received a bomb threat via email. The plane landed at Jaipur International Airport around 1:20 am, where security forces conducted a thorough inspection and found no suspicious items.
The threats have predominantly come from unverified and anonymous accounts on the social media platform X. Despite all threats being deemed false, they have caused significant disruptions to airline operations, leading to passenger distress and putting pressure on aviation security.
A senior official from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) emphasized the importance of treating such threats seriously, despite the high likelihood of them being hoaxes. “We take bomb threats very seriously, knowing fully well that most will turn out to be fake,” he stated.
Additionally, on Friday, an Akasa Air flight (QP 1366) from Bengaluru to Mumbai was also delayed due to a security alert shortly before takeoff, necessitating the deplaning of passengers.
The previous day, at least 14 flights, including multiple Air India and Vistara flights, were similarly affected by bomb threats, primarily originating from a single unverified account.
