India's airlines have been severely affected by a staggering rise in hoax bomb threats, with 999 recorded in 2023, prompting arrests and disruptions in flight operations.
Widespread Disruption: India Faces Surge in Hoax Bomb Threats to Airlines
Widespread Disruption: India Faces Surge in Hoax Bomb Threats to Airlines
Nearly 1,000 bomb threats this year disrupt air travel across India, leading to massive delays and heightened security measures.
A shocking increase in hoax bomb threats has plagued Indian airlines, resulting in major disruptions to flight services throughout October. As of November 14, the country’s deputy civil aviation minister, Murlidhar Mohol, revealed that airlines and airports in India had received a total of 999 hoax bomb threats. This figure represents nearly a tenfold increase compared to the previous year. Notably, over 500 of these threats materialized in just the last two weeks of October.
These alarming threats, all of which have been deemed hoaxes, have caused significant havoc on flight schedules, leading to delays and diversions. Mohol emphasized that no actual threats were detected at any airport or aircraft in India. The authorities responded proactively, registering 256 complaints linked to the incidents and arresting 12 suspects in connection with the threats.
The spike in bomb hoaxes is unprecedented; between 2014 and 2017, only 120 hoax alerts were recorded at airports, with a significant number targeting Delhi and Mumbai. The recent flurry of threats was not limited to domestic flights; international incidents included one where Singapore's Air Force scrambled fighter jets to escort an Air India Express plane facing a bomb threat and another instance where an Air India flight to Chicago was forced to make an emergency landing in Canada.
Amidst the chaos, India's civil aviation ministry pledged to take every possible measure to protect flight operations. The country’s airports are backed by a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee, which evaluates threats and determines necessary actions. Such responses include deploying bomb disposal units, screening all baggage, and conducting thorough inspections of aircraft.
Security measures are stringent, and every hoax threat contributes to escalating operational costs and delays, with airlines potentially suffering financial losses running into thousands of dollars. According to the civil aviation ministry, India saw over 150 million domestic passengers last year, with 3,000 flights operating daily from more than 150 airports nationwide, including 33 international terminals.
