Various flights operated by major Indian airlines encountered bomb threats through social media on Tuesday, leading to diversions and significant delays. This incident follows a day after three international flights departing from Mumbai—two by IndiGo and one by Air India—received false bomb threats.
On Tuesday, at least seven flights were subjected to bomb threats. Among these were Air India’s Delhi-Chicago flight, IndiGo’s Dammam-Lucknow flight, Air India Express’s Jaipur-Ayodhya-Bengaluru flight, the Madurai-Singapore flight, Akasa Air’s Bagdogra-Bengaluru flight, SpiceJet’s Darbhanga-Mumbai flight, and Alliance Air’s Amritsar-Dehradun flight.
In most instances, the threats were determined to be hoaxes, and after rigorous checks and passenger screening, security agencies cleared the aircraft, according to sources. Essential security evaluations are currently ongoing in a few cases that led to flight diversions, it has been reported.
All the threats originated from the same account—@schizobomber777—on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). This account has since been suspended by X.
Sources suggest that security agencies are investigating the account to uncover the individual or group responsible. The unremarkable account was created on the social media platform only recently and seems to have been established specifically to issue bomb threats to airlines, a source from one of the airlines stated.
While the majority of bomb threats tend to be false, both airlines and aviation authorities worldwide treat them with the highest level of seriousness.
Air India
“Flight AI127, which was operating from Delhi to Chicago on October 15, 2024, was the target of an online security threat and has landed at Iqaluit Airport in Canada as a precaution. The aircraft and its passengers are being re-screened in accordance with established security protocols. Air India has coordinated with agencies at the airport to assist passengers until their travel can resume,” an Air India representative remarked.
The Air India representative mentioned that Indian carriers have faced numerous hoax threats in recent days, stressing that all such threats are taken seriously. The airline stated it is cooperating with authorities to identify those responsible for these threats “to ensure accountability for the disruption and inconvenience caused to passengers.” The airline will also contemplate legal action against those accountable to recover costs incurred due to the fraudulent threats.
Security Protocol
Whenever an aircraft receives a bomb threat, a comprehensive security protocol is enacted, which includes diverting the aircraft to the nearest suitable airport and moving it to an isolated area, where passengers are swiftly evacuated. Both the aircraft and passengers’ luggage undergo an extensive security inspection before being permitted to take off again. These security evaluations, which can take several hours, lead to disruptions such as delays and even the rescheduling of subsequent flights, impacting the airlines financially.
IndiGo
IndiGo’s Dammam-Lucknow flight—6E98—originally slated to arrive in Lucknow at 6:25 pm, was redirected to Jaipur, where it is currently undergoing the required security checks.
“Flight 6E 98, traveling from Dammam to Lucknow, was rerouted to Jaipur due to a security-related warning. The plane was quarantined, and all passengers were safely evacuated… We are collaborating closely with the appropriate authorities, and required checks are currently in progress,” IndiGo stated in a release.
Air India Express
Air India Express’s Jaipur-Ayodhya-Bengaluru flight IX765 was delayed at the Ayodhya airport for several hours due to a bomb threat. The flight eventually took off for Bengaluru at 6:21 pm, after experiencing a delay of nearly three-and-a-half hours, according to flight tracking information.
“Air India Express, along with several other operators, received a specific security threat from an unverified social media account. In response, security measures were swiftly implemented as instructed by the Government-appointed Bomb Threat Assessment Committee,” an Air India Express representative remarked.
Regarding the Air India Express flight and the impacted flights of Akasa Air and SpiceJet, diversions were deemed unnecessary as the threats were issued while the planes were already nearing their destinations, it has been reported.
Air India Express’s Madurai-Singapore flight, which also faced bomb threats, landed safely in Singapore in the evening.
“Air India Express received an email indicating that there was a bomb aboard flight AXB684, which was en route to Singapore. Two of our RSAF F-15SGs were scrambled to escort the aircraft away from crowded areas, allowing it to safely land at Singapore Changi Airport around 10:04 pm tonight,” posted Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on X.
An airline representative indicated that essential security measures, such as aircraft inspections and screening of passengers along with their luggage, are currently being conducted at Singapore airport.
SpiceJet
“SpiceJet flight SG 116, operating on the Darbhanga-Mumbai route, was alerted by Mumbai ATC during its descent regarding a bomb threat communicated via a tweet. The aircraft landed safely at Mumbai Airport and was directed to an isolation bay as a precaution. All passengers disembarked without incident, and security agencies were promptly informed. Following comprehensive security checks, the aircraft has been cleared for further flights,” a SpiceJet spokesperson noted.
Akasa
“Akasa Air flight QP 1373, traveling from Bagdogra to Bengaluru on October 15, 2024, carrying 167 passengers, 2 infants, and 7 crew members, received a security alert during the flight. The Captain executed all necessary emergency protocols and landed safely at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru at 13:39 hrs. All passengers disembarked, and local authorities conducted the required safety and security checks after which the aircraft was cleared for operations,” an Akasa Air spokesperson reported, adding that passengers exited the airport terminal at 4:30 pm after completing the necessary safety procedures.
In recent months, numerous flights operated by Indian airlines have received false bomb threats. Just last month, a Vistara flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt was diverted to Erzurum airport in Turkey’s eastern region following a bomb threat.
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