Hoax bomb threats to airlines jumped 13 times to 714 in 2024, shows data

Airports, too, bore the brunt of this chaos, with the number of bomb threats rising nearly six-fold to 299 in 2024, compared to a mere 51 the previous year

The menace of hoax bomb threats targeting Indian airlines spiralled out of control in 2024, surging nearly 13 times year-on-year to 714 incidents, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation data reviewed by Business Standard. 

Airports, too, bore the brunt of this chaos, with the number of bomb threats rising nearly six-fold to 299 in 2024, compared to 51 last year. Most of these threats were delivered via X, emails, or phone calls, a ministry official revealed, underscoring the evolving digital nature of such disruptions. The crisis reached its peak in October and November, when an avalanche of hoax bomb threats threw airline operations into disarray.