On Tuesday, bomb threats were received for several prominent Indian airline flights through social media, leading to changes in flight routes and significant delays. This incident followed a similar one from the previous day, when three international flights from Mumbai two by IndiGo and one by Air India received false bomb threats.
At least seven flights received bomb threats on Tuesday, including Air India’s Delhi-Chicago flight, IndiGo’s Dammam-Lucknow flight, Air India Express’s Jaipur-Ayodhya-Bengaluru flight, Akasa Air’s Bagdogra-Bengaluru flight, SpiceJet’s Darbhanga-Mumbai flight, and Alliance Air’s Amritsar-Dehradun flight.
According to sources, all threats were determined to be false, and after a detailed investigation and passenger checks, the planes were allowed to continue. However, additional security checks were still ongoing for some flights that had altered their routes.
All the threats originated from a single account on X (formerly Twitter), which has since been suspended by the social media platform. Security agencies are investigating the account to identify the individual or group behind it. An airline source revealed that this anonymous account had been recently created with the apparent purpose of issuing bomb threats to airlines.
Despite most bomb threats being hoaxes, airlines and aviation authorities worldwide take them very seriously. For example, Air India’s flight AI 127 from Delhi to Chicago was diverted to Iqaluit Airport in Canada as a precautionary measure after an online threat. IndiGo’s Dammam-Lucknow flight 6E 98, scheduled to land in Lucknow at 6:25 PM, was diverted to Jaipur, where mandatory security checks were conducted.
IndiGo issued a statement saying, “Flight 6E 98 from Dammam to Lucknow was diverted to Jaipur due to a security alert. The aircraft was isolated, and all passengers were deplaned safely. Ensuring the safety of our customers and crew remains our top priority across all operations. We are cooperating with the authorities, and the mandatory checks are ongoing. We regret any inconvenience caused to our customers due to this situation.”
Air India Express’s Jaipur-Ayodhya-Bengaluru flight IX 765 was held at Ayodhya airport for several hours due to the bomb threat. According to tracking data, after a delay of approximately three and a half hours, the flight finally departed for Bengaluru at 6:21 PM.
It was later revealed that route changes were not necessary for flights by Air India Express, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet, as the bomb threats were reported when the aircraft were already nearing their destinations. SpiceJet flight SG 116, operating on the Darbhanga-Mumbai route, was informed about the bomb threat via a tweet from Mumbai ATC. The flight landed safely at Mumbai Airport and later departed as scheduled.
Akasa Air flight QP 1373, flying from Bagdogra to Bengaluru with 167 passengers, 2 infants, and 7 crew members, received a security alert onboard. The flight landed safely at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport at 1:39 PM. After completing the required security checks, the passengers exited the terminal by 4:30 PM. Additionally, Alliance Air’s Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight and Air India Express’s flight IX 684 from Madurai to Singapore were also among those affected.
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