Page 8 - Bomb Threat Calls

Civil Aviation Minister Naidu vows action amid surge in hoax bomb threats

On Friday, over 20 flights of various airlines reportedly received bomb threats, according to Civil Aviation ministry

Safety fears rise for Indian airlines as over 70 flights get bomb threats

With the latest threats, nearly 250 flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats in just over 10 days

BTAC protocols tweaked to tackle hoax bomb calls to airlines: Report

Protocols for the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC), convened in the event of a bomb threat call to an aircraft or airport, have been tweaked to better tackle the spate of the ongoing "random" Internet-based threats being made to various Indian airlines, official sources said Tuesday. On Monday night, the BTAC that assembled at seven airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Pune, Mangalore, Bengaluru and Kozhikode declared as "hoax or non-specific" bomb threat messages sent to 30 flights belonging to three carriers -- Air India, Vistara and Indigo. The threat was assessed as "non specific" as it was found that one X handle posted these "bombs onboard" messages for 10 flights each of these three carriers between 10:46 and 11:42 PM. The protocol undertaken by the BTAC has been tweaked and a fine assessment, acting on a set of new 'red flags', is being undertaken now, the sources told PTI. The CISF and the respective airline security have also been asked to ensure "focussed" security .

Bomb threat on 54 more flights; tally reaches 140 in just over a week

In just over a week, more than 140 domestic and international flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats

Vistara flight denied Afghan airspace after bomb scare, returns to Delhi

When Afghan airspace officials were notified of the 'non-specific' bomb threat, they refused permission for the Vistara flight to pass through

Bomb hoax calls menace continues, disrupts over 20 Indian flights today

More than 80 flights have been affected by hoax calls since Monday

Bomb threats hit Indian flights hard: The real cost of these hoax calls

These false bomb threats have caused significant financial losses for airlines, estimated in crores

Bomb threats: Air India Express, Vistara flights make emergency landings

Over the past several days, nearly 40 flights operated by Indian carriers have faced bomb threats, all of which have been hoaxes so far

Vistara's Delhi-London flight diverted to Frankfurt after bomb threat

A London-bound Vistara flight from Delhi was diverted to Frankfurt on Friday following a bomb threat. In a statement early Saturday morning, an airline spokesperson said the flight landed safely at the Frankfurt airport and mandatory checks are being conducted. The flight will continue to its destination once cleared by the security agencies. "Vistara flight UK17 operating from Delhi to London on October 18, 2024 received a security threat on social media. In line with the protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed and as a precautionary measure, the pilots decided to divert the flight to Frankfurt," the spokesperson said. According to an official in the know, the flight had received a bomb threat. Meanwhile, Akasa Air said its flight QP 1366 scheduled to fly from Bengaluru to Mumbai on Friday received a security alert shortly before departure. "Hence as per safety and security procedures, all passengers had to be deplaned as the local authorities followed necess

Bomb threats: Delhi Police writes to social sites to get offenders' details

Intensifying its probe on the hoax bomb threats received by several domestic and international flights, Delhi Police on Thursday wrote to social media platforms seeking details of the accounts that posted threatening messages. Delhi Police on Wednesday registered an FIR in connection with the bomb threat to Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight carrying 180 people and also launched a probe in seven other similar cases reported at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport this month. A senior police officer said a dedicated team has been formed to probe bomb threat cases. A team of cyber cell of Delhi police, Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO) has also been roped in for the probe. On Wednesday, police approached the social media platforms to suspend the handles that posted threatening messages and remove the posts. "It is suspected that the handler used VPN (Virtual private network) or dark web browser to set up the accounts on X and then posted the messages from more ...

10 social media handles suspended for issuing hoax bomb threat to airliners

About 10 social media handles that issued hoax bomb threats to multiple Indian airliners this week have been suspended or blocked by cyber security agencies till now, official sources said Thursday. The sources told PTI that the handles were "analysed" by a joint team of cyber, aviation security and intelligence agencies following which orders were issued to suspend these accounts as they continued to issue "mindless" threats. Around 10 social media handles, majority of them on X, have been suspended or blocked since Monday, when these hoax bomb and terrorist attack threats started being sent to virtually all the Indian airliners for both their domestic and international route operations, the sources said. The agencies have also found some common lines and words used in these fake threats like "bombs", "blood will spread everywhere", "explosive devices", "this is not a joke" and "you will all die" and "bomb rakhwa dia hai" (Hindi for bomb has been placed) among others. The sources

2 Mumbai-bound international flights receive bomb threats

The pattern of domestic airlines receiving bomb threats to their flights continued for the fourth day as two international flights, one each of Vistara and IndiGo, were targeted in the similar manner on Thursday. Earlier on Wednesday, seven flights of IndiGo, SpiceJet and Akasa received similar bomb threats. Prior to that, nearly a dozen flights operated by Indian carriers received similar threats on Monday and Tuesday. On Thursday a Mumbai-bound Vistara flight with 147 persons on board was immediately taken to security checks on its arrival from Frankfurt following the Boeing 787 aircraft receiving a bomb threat, according to the airline. At the same time, an IndiGo flight operating from Istanbul in Turkiye for Mumbai also received a bomb threat and was taken to an isolation bay here for the security agencies to carry out a comprehensive security check. "The Vistara flight UK 028 operating from Frankfurt to Mumbai on October 16, 2024 was subject to a security threat received on .

Playing it safe: How a bomb threat is handled at an Indian airport

Goal is to verify credibility of a threat and neutralise any potential danger

Centre plans strict norms to prevent hoax bomb threats to airlines

The civil aviation ministry plans to put in place strict norms to prevent incidents of hoax bomb threats to airlines, including placing the perpetrators on the no-fly list, a senior official said on Thursday. In four days, more than 20 flights of various Indian airlines received bomb threats, including international flights, and some of them were diverted. Most of the threats have turned out to be hoaxes. Against this backdrop, the ministry is looking at amending existing rules, including those related to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), in order to ensure stringent punishments are in place for the culprits, the official in the know said. Placing individuals making hoax bomb threats in the airlines' no-fly list is one of the proposals being looked at, the official said. The official also said legal opinions are being gathered with respect to making the changes in the rules. The provisions being followed in foreign countries to deal with hoax bomb threats are also bein

Police arrest teen for bomb threats to airlines, planned to frame friend

The 17-year-old boy created a social media account using the name of a friend he wanted to implicate over financial dispute

Vistara's Frankfurt-Mumbai flight makes emergency landing after bomb threat

A Mumbai-bound Vistara flight with 147 persons on board made an emergency landing here on Wednesday upon its arrival from Frankfurt in Germany following a bomb threat to the aircraft, a source said. The Boeing 787 aircraft was immediately taken to the isolation bay for mandatory security checks, according to the source. The flight landed safely at 7.45 am. There were 134 passengers and 13 crew on board the aircraft, as per sources. "Vistara Frankfurt flight, which had departed for Mumbai from Frankfurt on Tuesday at 8.20 pm (local time) made an emergency landing here at around 7.45 am on Wednesday," a source said. Vistara, in a statement, said that its Frankfurt-Mumbai flight received a security alert but landed safely here. "The Vistara flight UK 028 operating from Frankfurt to Mumbai on October 16, 2024 was subject to a security threat received on social media," the airline said. As per the protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed, it said, adding the aircr

Agencies actively pursuing bomb threat cases: Aviation Minister Naidu

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu also said the Mumbai police have arrested a minor responsible for issuing bomb threats targeting three flights

Delhi Police registers FIR, begins probe in 7 hoax threats to flights

The Delhi Police has registered an FIR in connection with bomb threats to several domestic and international flights in the last two days and launched a probe into the matter, official sources said on Wednesday. A Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight with more than 180 people on board returned to the national capital on Wednesday afternoon following a bomb threat. Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Usha Rangnani said, "Airport police has responded to seven incidents involving reported bomb threats this month. After thorough verifications and inspection, all threats were confirmed to be hoaxes." "Legal action has been initiated against those responsible for these false alarms to ensure strict measures against misuse and to maintain the safety and security of passengers and airport operations," she said. According to sources, an FIR has been registered at the IGI Airport Police Station as different flights received threats through a social media handle in the last two days. Police have

IndiGo's Riyadh-Mumbai flight diverted due to security alert, lands safely

A Riyadh-Mumbai flight of IndiGo was diverted to Muscat following a "security alert" on Wednesday morning and it landed safely, the airline said here. The aircraft is currently grounded in Muscat, IndiGo said in a statement. Notably, several flights have received threats that turned out to be hoax in the last few days. "Flight 6E 74, operating from Riyadh to Mumbai, was redirected to Muscat due to a security-related alert. The aircraft has been isolated, and all passengers have been safely disembarked," the airline statement said. It did not reveal the number of passengers and crew on board or other details. "Ensuring the safety and security of our customers and crew remains paramount in all facets of our operations. We are working closely with the relevant authorities, and standard operating procedures are being followed," IndiGo said.

Akasa Air's Bengaluru flight diverted due to bomb threat, 12th in 3 days

Akasa Air and IndiGo flights diverted amid bomb threats; security drills underway at multiple airports as authorities respond to rising aviation threats in India