India: Aviation ministry summons airline CEOs as hoax bomb threats reach 30; tougher penalties in discussion

India’s Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) called for a meeting on Saturday (Oct 19) with airline CEOs following a spike in hoax bomb threats over the past four days.

On Saturday alone, there were ten more false bomb threats, bringing the total to 30 threats received by various airlines in just a few days. SpiceJet faced five hoax threats, and AirAsia received another five. The airlines, feeling the financial pressure caused by these hoaxes, had earlier requested the Indian government to step in and address the issue quickly.

A spokesperson for Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow said, “On 19th October, S5 223 from Lucknow to Kishangarh, received a bomb threat at 1.52 pm. CCSI Airport’s Bomb Threat Assessment Committee was convened to assess the threat and security measures were implemented at the Airport as per aviation protocols. After moving the aircraft to the isolation bay, passengers were safely deboarded and CISF personnel conducted a security check… The aircraft was cleared at 4.10 pm by the security agencies.”

IndiGo flight 6E 108, flying from Hyderabad to Chandigarh, also received a false bomb threat. IndiGo issued a statement confirming that all passengers were safely evacuated.

Hoax threats began late Friday night, and by Saturday, 30 flights from various Indian airlines had received similar messages. The situation has escalated to the point where major airports are struggling to find remote parking spaces for planes requiring security checks after such threats.

Amid this, the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu assured the public on Thursday that appropriate actions were being taken. He dismissed any larger conspiracy theories, labelling the incidents as “petty” pranks by minors or pranksters.

According to ministry sources cited by news agency ANI, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is discussing potential changes to existing laws with other relevant ministries to toughen penalties for hoax bomb threats.

The Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Home Affairs will establish a committee to propose amendments to the Aircraft Act of 1934, the Aircraft Rules of 1937, and related regulations. These changes would include a five-year prison sentence for offenders, as well as placing them on the no-fly list.

(With inputs from agencies)