The alarming rise in bomb threats to Indian airlines continued on Wednesday, with two more flights being targeted, taking the total to 12 incidents in the last three days. A Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight (QP 1335) and a Delhi-bound IndiGo flight (6E 651) were the latest to receive threats, triggering emergency protocols.
The Akasa Air flight, carrying 177 passengers, including three infants and seven crew members, returned to Delhi after receiving the threat, an Akasa Air spokesperson confirmed. Meanwhile, the IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Delhi was diverted to Ahmedabad, where the plane was isolated, and all passengers were safely evacuated.
Multiple Bomb Threats in Recent Days
The latest threats follow a series of hoaxes over the past few days that have severely impacted airline operations:
- An Air India Delhi-Chicago flight was diverted after a bomb threat.
- IndiGo’s Dammam-Lucknow flight and Air India Xpress’s Ayodhya-Bengaluru flight also faced similar situations.
- A SpiceJet flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai (SG116), Akasa Air flight from Bagdogra to Bengaluru (QP 1373), and an Alliance Air flight (9I 650) from Amritsar to Dehradun and Delhi were affected on Tuesday.
- Additionally, an Air India Express flight (IX 684) from Madurai to Singapore received a bomb threat.
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Earlier, on Monday, two IndiGo flights and an Air India flight were also targeted by hoax threats, including Air India flight AI119 from Mumbai to New York’s JFK Airport and IndiGo flights 6E1275 bound for Muscat and 6E56 heading to Jeddah.
Government Response and Investigation
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport met on Wednesday morning to discuss the ongoing issue, following an urgent meeting called by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu. Officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA attended the meeting. Sources indicate that authorities have identified some suspects and are closely monitoring activities on the dark web.
The repeated threats have caused significant disruption, but investigations are actively ongoing to trace the perpetrators behind these hoaxes.
