"5-Year Flight Ban For Hoax Callers," Say Sources Amid Bomb Threat To Airlines

In less than 72 hours, 12 airlines received bomb threats, prompting a security scare which has not been witnessed before. On October 14, three flights - One IndiGo and two Air India - received bomb threats. Yesterday, seven flights got hoax bomb threats posted online, in which an Air India flight from New Delhi to Chicago made an emergency landing at a remote airport in Canada. Today, two domestic flights were given bomb threats.

Sources told NDTV that the Centre and civil authorities are working together to handle the crisis. The Home Ministry has asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to send a detailed report on the incidents. Airlines have been asked by the aviation ministry to provide inputs on the bomb scare incidents, based on which, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will prepare a report.

The DGCA will send the report to the secretariat and a discussion is likely to be held tomorrow, sources told NDTV.

A Parliamentary Standing Committee met today over the issue. This was preceded by a meeting called by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu with the Civil Aviation Ministry and DGCA officials.

Sources said several steps will be taken to deal with such situations: Those who post bomb threats will be added to the 'Unruly Passengers' list. The airlines have suggested that they should be banned from flying for five years.

Sources said that Air India has suggested that the losses borne by the airline due to fake bomb threats should be recovered from the accused.

The names of those responsible for hoax calls will be shared with the airline and security agencies. The Civil Aviation Ministry is expected to share the guidelines soon. The ministry will also share a detailed report on the bomb scare investigation in two days.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to stay alert at the airports.

Fake Bomb Threats, Flights Grounded

Yesterday, an Air India direct flight from New Delhi to Chicago was diverted to Iqaluit Airport in Canada following a hoax bomb threat which was posted online.

Apart from the New Delhi-Chicago flight, Dammam-Lucknow IndiGo flight, Ayodhya-Bengaluru Air India Express, a SpiceJet flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai (SG116), an Akasa Air flight from Bagdogra to Bengaluru (QP 1373) an Alliance Air Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight (9I 650) and an Air India Express flight (IX 684) from Madurai to Singapore received bomb threats.

The Singapore Armed Forces scrambled fighter jets for the Air India Express flight to land safely after a bomb threat.

The Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) systems and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) were also activated. Once on the ground, the plane was handed to the airport police.

On October 14, three international flights received fake security threats, leading to disruption in outbound international flight operations, as checks were initiated for all three planes involved. The total number of passengers across the two IndiGo flights was 258.