Fresh bomb threats target 85 flights, including IndiGo, Air India
At least 85 flights operated by IndiGo, Air India, Vistara, and Akasa Air received bomb threats on Thursday. According to officials, the threats targeted 20 flights from Air India, 20 from Indigo, 20 from Vistara, and 25 from Akasa Airlines. With this new bomb threats, the number of affected flights has now reached nearly 250 in the last 11 days.
Government plans to address hoax threats
Most of the threats in the past came from social media platforms and were later deemed hoaxes. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu announced plans to make hoax bomb threat calls a cognisable offense. The government is mulling legislative measures, including putting perpetrators on a no-fly list. Amendments to aviation security rules and the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982 are also being planned to tackle these threats.
Central government criticizes social media platforms
The central government has also slammed social media platforms such as X and Meta for their role in the matter. Joint Secretary Sanket S Bhondve chaired a meeting asking the platforms to employ AI-based solutions to block accounts sending threatening messages. The recent spate of threats has also led to changes in Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) protocols, PTI reported. Increased security measures include targeted frisking of passengers and baggage by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and airline security teams.
