Indian airlines have faced a series of false bomb threats, causing delays and panic among passengers.
More than 70 false bomb threats were made against flights operated by several Indian airlines this week, causing panic among passengers and delays, local media reported on Sunday. All flights landed safely, but the wave of threats led to several hijackings and the dispatch of fighter jets to escort planes over the skies of Britain and Singapore.
“Very strict measures” will be taken, warned the Indian government and civil aviation authorities.
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New Delhi did not say how many threats it received last week, but the Times of India newspaper and News18 television channel reported 70 hoaxes targeting international flights since October 13. On Saturday alone, 30 were recorded, and the cost and delays caused weighed heavily on airlines. At least one person, a minor, was arrested in India, but the threats continued.
“Hurry up and evacuate”
“All those responsible for the disruptions will be identified and duly prosecuted,” Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said after Wednesday’s arrest. On the X platform, an anonymous account was suspended after posting bomb threats against at least 40 flights on Friday and Saturday, according to a report in the Indian Express newspaper. They targeted both Indian and international companies, including American and New Zealand.
“Bombs have been placed on board… No one will come out alive. Hurry and evacuate,” the suspended account read several times, the newspaper reported. On Tuesday, an Air India plane flying from New Delhi to Chicago was forced to make an emergency landing in the isolated town of Iqaluit, Canada. The Canadian Air Force had to transport the passengers. The same day, Singapore used fighter jets to escort an Air India Express plane.
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