Over 30 domestic and international flights receive bomb threats

According to sources, the flights of IndiGo, Vistara and Air India were among those that received the bomb threats

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

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

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Passengers from these flights disembarked safely, according to four separate statements from the airline. “We worked closely with the relevant authorities, and standard operating procedures were followed,” the spokesperson said about the security alerts related to the four flights.

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

“Following the laid down protocols, relevant authorities were immediately alerted, and all security procedures strictly adhered to, as per guidance from the regulatory authorities and security agencies,” the spokesperson said in a statement. A Vistara spokesperson said a few of its flights that operated on Monday received security threats on social media.

“We immediately alerted the relevant authorities and are following all security procedures as directed by them,” the spokesperson said in a statement. In little over a week, more than 120 flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats.

Even though bomb threats are hoaxes, things cannot be taken non-seriously, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu had said on Monday. Meanwhile, the government is planning legislative actions to deal with bomb threats to airlines, including placing the perpetrators in the no-fly list.

Amendments are being proposed to The Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act (SUASCA), 1982 whereby the perpetrators could be arrested and probe can be initiated without a court order for offences when an aircraft is on the ground.

Also, changes are being planned to aircraft security rules to ensure stringent punishment for perpetrators of bomb threats to flights.