Hoax calls continue, 3 more flights get bomb threats, Ministry moots stringent norms

A Dubai-Jaipur Air India Express flight made an emergency landing at the airport here in the early hours of Saturday due to a bomb threat, which later turned out to be a hoax, reported PTI.

After authorities were alerted about the bomb threat, an emergency was declared at the Jaipur airport. "The flight with 189 passengers onboard landed safely at the airport at 1.20 am," an official said. The plane was checked thoroughly, but nothing suspicious was found, he said.

This is the latest in a series of bomb threats received by various airlines on domestic and international routes. In the past 20 days, nearly 40 flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats, with most being hoaxes communicated via social media.

Bomb threats also targeted a London-bound Vistara flight from Delhi and an Akasa Air flight scheduled to depart from Bengaluru to Mumbai on Friday. Vistara's flight was diverted to Frankfurt after receiving a threat via social media.

In a statement released Saturday morning, Vistara explained, "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 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."

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 necessary procedures. We request your understanding as our team on the ground did everything possible to reduce inconvenience," the airline said in a post on X.

The Civil Aviation Ministry plans to establish strict norms to prevent hoax threats to airlines, including putting perpetrators on the no-fly list.