Hoax Bomb Threats Issued To Over 50 Air India, Akasa, IndiGo Flights Today

The flurry of hoax bomb threats, being received by Indian carriers over the past 10 days, continued on Thursday as more than 50 flights were impacted.

As per the data available so far, around 53 flights including those operated by Air India, Akasa Air and IndiGo received hoax bomb calls during the day.

Twenty flights each of Air India and Indigo, and 13 flights of Akasa Air, reported an emergency after the threats were received.

Earlier, sources in the Ministry of Civil Aviation told NDTV that due to the recurring hoax bomb threats since Oct. 14, airlines have cumulatively lost around Rs 500 crore. These hoax calls impact the plane schedule and, at times, also lead to the diversion of the flights.

The planes are shifted to the closest airport instead of its scheduled destination in case a diversion. This increases the use of fuel multiplying the airlines cost.

It also increases the cost due to the need for aircraft re-checks, accommodating passengers in hotels, and transporting them to their destinations, the sources said.

In addition to flight diversions, airlines also face losses when their schedules are disrupted by hoax threats, according to persons privy to the development. This happens when the threat is made before takeoff and the aircraft are moved to an isolation bay to scan for suspicious items.

Notably, there are guidelines already in place for airlines to follow when faced with a bomb or sabotage threat.

According to aviation industry insiders, these threats are usually reported to the local civil aviation authority or the airline's office responsible for the flight.

Firstly, the threats are evaluated to see if they are genuine or hoax, they said. Till its confirmed that the threat is a hoax, the security protocol needs to be strictly adhered to.