Bomb threats received for 30 flights; 3 IndiGo flights diverted in Middle East

As many as 30 domestic and international flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats on Monday night, with three Jeddah-bound IndiGo flights getting diverted to airports in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The flights of IndiGo, Vistara and Air India were among those that received the bomb threats, sources in the know said.

In little over a week, more than 120 flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats.

IndiGo's ten flights received security-related alerts and passengers from the respective aircraft disembarked safely, an airline spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The flight 6E 77 (Bengaluru to Jeddah) was diverted to Doha, 6E 65 (Kozhikode to Jeddah) was diverted to Riyadh, and 6E 63 (Delhi to Jeddah) was redirected to Medina.

Jeddah, Riyadh and Medina are Saudi Arabian cities, and the Doha is the capital of Qatar.

The other flights of IndiGo that received threats were 6E 83 (Delhi to Dammam), 6E 18 (Istanbul to Mumbai), 6E 12 (Istanbul to Delhi), 6E 164 (Mangaluru to Mumbai), 6E 75, (Ahmedabad to Jeddah), 6E 67 (Hyderabad to Jeddah) and 6E 118 (Lucknow to Pune), according to separate statements from the airline.

The sources said that at least 30 flight received the bomb threats on Monday night.

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.

The airline did not mention details or the number of flights that had received the threats.

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.

Specific details were not disclosed. 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.