Alarmist calls about bomb threats on board Indian airlines continued unabated on Tuesday, with ten flights belonging to IndiGo receiving alerts that impacted both domestic and international routes.
These include 6E-63 from Delhi to Jeddah, 6E-12 from Istanbul to Delhi, 6E-83 from Delhi to Dammam, and many others, including Kozhikode, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mangalore, Lucknow, Pune, and Ahmedabad to Jeddah and Mumbai. IndiGo has confirmed the threats, referring again to the airline’s number one core principle: the safety of passengers and crew.
“These threats were dealt with according to the standard operating procedures and in cooperation with the relevant authorities. We regret any inconvenience this has caused our customers and appreciate their understanding while we went through this situation,” they said.
Between Monday and Tuesday, security alerts were issued to ten Vistara flights, apart from IndiGo, which triggered elaborate security checks at airports. A Vistara spokesperson said it had received social media threats. “We take all the necessary precautions for our customers, crew, and aircraft,” he said.
Close to 30 flights of different Indian airlines faced bomb threats on Monday alone, causing a big disruption in the aviation sector. Major airlines like IndiGo, Vistara, and Air India have been targeted this time, with over 120 flights targeted in the past week. While most of the threats have turned out to be hoax calls, airlines continue to face operational difficulties because of mandatory protocols required to be followed after receipt of such threats.
Following the events, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said that the Centre plans to propose life imprisonment for those who make hoax calls or post threatening messages on social media.
The Government might seek amendments to the aviation security laws to impose severe sentences on such perpetrators. Naidu offered reasons that these acts of disruption are being created inside and outside the aircraft, pointing toward proactive legislation for ensuring aviation safety.
