Bomb threats: Hoax callers may be added to no-fly list
The Indian government is considering putting people behind hoax threats against flights on a no-fly list, according to several reports that cited government sources. The proposal was first made by Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to the Union Aviation Ministry in June. A senior official confirmed that they are working to identify the relevant law to back this move.
Airlines urge government action on hoax threats
Airlines are requesting the government to take this matter up immediately as disrupted schedules cause a lot of inconvenience and cost a lot. Air India is considering legal action to seek damages from those behind these threats. In the last two days, approximately 13 Indian flights, including several international flights, have received bomb threats, but nothing untoward has been discovered on the planes.
Hoax threats disrupt multiple flights
On Wednesday, an Akasa Delhi-Bangalore flight returned to Delhi, while an IndiGo Mumbai-Delhi flight was diverted to Ahmedabad following a security alert. SpiceJet also said that they received bomb-threat messages for two of their flights on their social media handle on Wednesday. Earlier this week, at least 10 flights were affected, including an Air India Delhi-Chicago flight that diverted to Iqaluit, Canada.
BCAS assures strict action against hoax threat perpetrators
In wake of these incidents, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) requested a report from the Ministry of Civil Aviation on the phony bomb threat texts. A senior source informed PTI that the MHA has directed the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Bureau of Civil Aviation, National Investigation Agency (NIA), and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to submit a report on recent bomb threats.
Centre to double deployment of Air Marshals
The central government has also decided to double the number of sky marshals on flights originating from airports across the country. "The fresh batch of Air Narshals will be deployed on new international routes added in sensitive category based on intelligence report," an officer said. A unit of the National Security Guard (NSG) specializing in anti-terror and anti-hijacking measures serves as air marshals on primarily international routes and a few sensitive domestic routes.
