Multiple airlines received ten hoax bomb threats on Saturday. Spice Jet received five, and Air Asia received five more.
All these airlines have received a total of 30 bomb threats in the last few days. An airline, Star Air, moved its aircraft to an isolation bay after a bomb threat. Passengers were allowed to proceed to the terminal after a full security check.
An Indigo flight operating from Hyderabad to Chandigarh also received a hoax bomb threat. IndiGo released a statement saying that all the passengers were safely evacuated.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is in talks with the other concerned ministries to make the required amendments to the existing laws to make them more stringent in dealing with cases of hoax bomb threats for flights, ministry sources said.
A senior official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Friday that the accused person will be put on a no-fly list.
The official said that a committee would be formed in consultation with the law ministry and Ministry of Home Affairs to prepare a draft to amend the Aircraft Act, 1934, and Aircraft Rules, 1937, and subordinate legislations to ensure a 5-year imprisonment and place offenders on a no-fly list for hoax bomb threats on flights.
In a statement, Akasa Air said, “Some of our flights operating on October 19, 2024, have received security alerts today. As per safety and security procedures, all passengers had to be deplaned as the local authorities followed the necessary procedures. We request your understanding as our team on the ground did everything possible to reduce the inconvenience.”
