Damn. I usually try not to write about aviation issues because most of these are not news and could happen to any airline (such as go-arounds and flight delays). But one issue that seems to be becoming a nuisance in Indian aviation is back to haunt airlines, and that is hoax bomb threats.

Air India receives hoax bomb threat for Mumbai – New York JFK flight.

Air India received word about a bomb on board its Mumbai—New York JFK flight, AI 119. The airline diverted to Delhi Airport and had to follow through with commensurate security measures.

An Air India spokesperson said on this,

Flight Al119 operating Mumbai to JFK on October 14 received a specific security alert and on instructions of the government’s security regulatory committee was diverted to Delhi. All passengers have disembarked and are at the Delhi airport terminal. Our colleagues on ground are making sure to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected disruption. Air India is committed to and accords top priority to the safety and security of its
passengers and crew.

A bomb threat is not something to be taken lightly, and a whole process is followed to ensure that the danger, if present, is neutralised. Here are some videos of how the security forces responded.

#AI119 BOM – JFK Oct 14th rerouted to Delhi with Rapid Disembarkation aimed security safety concerns. AI 119 pic.twitter.com/FjaNtQ78Dr

— G-Money 🖤 (@GyaanGandhi) October 14, 2024

The Air India flight had 239 passengers and 19 crew on board, and it had to be cancelled. A relief flight was slotted for October 15, 2024. Everyone on board has been accommodated in hotels. The bomb threat turned out to be a hoax.

IndiGo receives two bomb threats on the same day.

It was not a typical day, with IndiGo also receiving threats on the same day—not one, but two. IndiGo reported threats to its Mumbai—Muscat flight 6E1275 and Mumbai—Jeddah flight 6E57, operating on Monday, October 14, 2024.

The Muscat-bound flight, which usually departs at 2 AM, departed after 9 AM, with a delay of over 7 hours.  Similarly, the Jeddah-bound flight, which usually departs at 2:05 AM, departed after 1 PM.

Said threats have been a menace this year. Here are some of the other hoax threats that have been reported this year:

• On September 6, 2024, Vistara’s Mumbai-Frankfurt flight was diverted to Turkey’s Erzurum airport after receiving a bomb threat, which later turned out to be a hoax
• In October 2024, an email was sent to Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar International Airport in Indore, MP, warning of a bomb threat, which turned out to be a hoax.
• On October 5, Vadodara airport received a threat via email directed to the security forces.

This does not even account for the many hoax threats various airlines issued earlier in the year. The issues behind the hoax calls are yet to be substantiated. Clearly, the Indian laws are not being punitive enough on said hoax callers to dissuade them from doing this repeatedly.

Bottomline

Air India and IndiGo both saw delays to their international flights today, with Air India diverting a Mumbai – New York JFK flight to Delhi and IndiGo operating two flights bound to destinations in the Middle East to later in the day due to the threats received for these flights. Aviation security is a serious business, and the airlines must ensure that each threat is checked out when received.

What do you make of the increasing issues concerning hoax bomb threats in India with respect to airlines?

---

Liked our articles and our efforts? Please pay an amount you are comfortable with; an amount you believe is the fair price for the content you have consumed. Please enter an amount in the box below and click on the button to pay; you can use Netbanking, Debit/Credit Cards, UPI, QR codes, or any Wallet to pay. Every contribution helps cover the cost of the content generated for your benefit.

(Important: to receive confirmation and details of your transaction, please enter a valid email address in the pop-up form that will appear after you click the ‘Pay Now’ button. For international transactions, use Paypal to process the transaction.)

We are not putting our articles behind any paywall where you are asked to pay before you read an article. We are asking you to pay after you have read the article if you are satisfied with the quality and our efforts.