Over 20 Flights, Including Dubai-Bound Air India One, Get Fresh Bomb Threats Today

As many as 24 flights operated by Vistara, IndiGo, Air India and Akasa airlines received fresh bomb threats on social media on Sunday, October 20, prompting emergency checks across various airports, said officials.

Six flights each of IndiGo, Vistara, Akasa Air and Air India received the threats, according to news agency PTI.

A Dubai-bound Air India Flight from Mangaluru received a hoax bomb threat today. The threat was sent via an email by an unknown source to Air India, claiming that one flight from Mangaluru-Dubai would be blown.

The threat came out to be hoax and the aircraft safely landed in Dubai. Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station in Mangaluru.

The six flights operated by Vistara airline that received threat are UK25 (Delhi to Frankfurt), UK106 (Singapore to Mumbai), UK146 (Bali to Delhi), UK116 (Singapore to Delhi), UK110 (Singapore to Pune) and UK107 (Mumbai to Singapore).

The airline further informed that the Frankfurt-bound flight is returning back to Delhi.

“We confirm receiving security threats on social media for six Vistara flights operating on 20 October 2024,” said the airline in an official statement, highlighting a concerning rise of bomb scares within the aviation sector.

“In line with the protocols, all relevant authorities were immediately notified, and security procedures, as directed by them, are being carried out. As always, the safety and security of our customers, crew, and aircraft remain our top priority,” said a Vistara spokesperson.

It comes a day after the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) met with airline CEOs on Saturday after multiple flights received at least 70 hoax bomb threats in the past week.

More than 30 flights across major airlines such as IndiGo, Akasa Air, Star Air, and Alliance Air were targeted on Saturday alone. The CEOs were asked to follow the standard operating procedure for tackling the threats.

So far this week, more than 90 flights have received bomb threats and most of them have turned out to be hoaxes.

Akasa, IndiGo, Air India Flights Disrupted

Earlier today, as many as six flights of Akasa Air received security threats on Sunday, which prompted security checks.

The Akasa Air flights that received the bomb threat are QP 1102 flying from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, QP 1378 flying from Delhi to Goa, QP 1385 flying from Mumbai to Bagdogra, QP 1406 flying from Delhi to Hyderabad, QP 1519 flying from Kochi to Mumbai and QP 1526 flying from Lucknow to Mumbai.

The airline issued a statement and said that it followed all safety and security procedures in coordination with local authorities.

“The Akasa Air Emergency Response team was immediately activated and initiated all standard operating procedures, including informing regulatory authorities and monitoring the situation in realtime. Captains and crew members of respective flights followed the required emergency procedures, and prescribed safety and security protocols in coordination with the local authorities,” it said.

The IndiGo authorities said that as many as six flights of the airline were disrupted today following the threat calls, prompting security checks.

The IndiGo flights that received the bomb threat are 6E 58 operating from Jeddah to Mumbai, 6E 87 from Kozhikode to Dammam, 6E 11 from Delhi to Istanbul, 6E 17 from Mumbai to Istanbul, 6E 133 from Pune to Jodhpur and 6E 112 flying from Goa to Ahmedabad.

“The safety and security of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and we are working closely with the relevant authorities and taking all necessary precautions as per the guidelines,” the airline said in a statement.

Karnataka’s Sambra Airport Gets Bomb Threat

The spate of bomb scares targeting Indian aviation continued on Sunday after Karnataka’s Sambra Airport in Belagavi received a threat through email, said an official aware of the matter.

The director of Sambra Airport, Thyagaraj, received the threat letter via email, written by an unidentified individual who threatened to blow up a Chennai-Belagavi flight, triggering panic in the area.

An FIR has been registered at the Marihal Police Station in Belagavi, said officials, adding that a probe is underway to trace the origin of the bomb threat.