Bomb Threats To Airlines: Security Protocol That Pilots Need To Follow — Explained

A flurry of bomb threats issued to Indian airlines this week has disrupted the schedule of at least 20 flights. Although all the threats received so far were hoax, they drew attention towards the security protocol followed by commercial carriers.

There are guidelines already laid down by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation which are to be adopted by airlines after receiving a bomb or sabotage threat, aviation industry sources said.

The threats, that are usually received by the local civil aviation authority or the office of the airline operating the concerned flight, are first evaluated whether they are genuine or hoax. Until it is not established that the threat is a hoax, all the security measures are to be strictly implemented, they said.

At the foremost, the airlines are required to distinguish between a "specific" and a "non-specific" threat, the persons privy to the protocol said. In a specific threat, details such as flight number, date, timing of departure and arrival, and place of origin and destination are mentioned.

On other hand, those threats which do not clearly identify the airline, and do not mention the flight number, date and schedule are treated as non-specific threats, they said.

When a bomb threat is received "on board during flight", the pilot in command decides whether to return to the place of origin or proceed to the destination, or divert the plane to the nearest landing location, the sources said. The decision depends on the threat being specific or non-specific, they noted.

When a bomb threat is issued to an airline, the captain of the concerned flight is subsequently alerted. As per the protocol in place, the captain has to declare an emergency, the aviation industry insiders said.

Once the emergency is declared, the flight is diverted to the nearest military or civil airfield where it can land safely. During this period, the aircraft should avoid flying over areas that are densely populated, they added.

A discrete search should also be launched onboard to look for any suspicious item, which could resemble an explosive device, the sources said. Before landing, the captain is required to check with the air traffic control about the parking location.

To avoid undue panic, passengers onboard should not be told the exact reason for the emergency landing, and are to be only informed that the flight has been diverted due to operational reasons, they noted.

Once landed, the passengers and crew members should be disembarked with their hand baggage except in cases where the emergency slide is used, the persons in the know further said.

The off-boarded passengers are subsequently moved to a secure room at the aerodrome. This is followed by the airline getting thoroughly searched for the suspicious item, the sources added.

Notably, the Mumbai Police has taken into remand a minor who has been accused of sending threats to airlines that were scheduled to depart from Mumbai on Oct. 14. Separately, the Delhi Police has also registered six FIRs in connection to the hoax bomb threats received by various airlines this week.