Since Monday, at least 19 Indian flights have been targeted with hoax bomb threats, causing significant delays and flight diversions.
On Wednesday, an Air Akasa flight bound for Bengaluru was rerouted to Delhi due to a bomb threat.
The day before, Singapore’s Air Force dispatched two fighter jets to escort an Air India Express flight after a bomb scare. Hours earlier, an Air India plane flying from Delhi to Chicago made an emergency landing in Canada as a precautionary measure.
Other airlines, including IndiGo and SpiceJet, have also been impacted.
While bomb threats are not uncommon in India, the sudden spike since Monday remains unexplained.
India’s civil aviation minister stated on Wednesday that the ministry is closely monitoring the situation and taking “every possible step” to ensure flight safety.
“We are committed to upholding the highest security standards, and passenger safety is our top priority,” said Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
The ANI news agency reported that additional security personnel would be deployed on “sensitive routes,” though this has not been officially confirmed by the government.
Officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security have not responded to requests for comment.
On Monday, three international flights departing from Mumbai were delayed or diverted after threats were posted by a user on X. Police have detained a teenager in connection with the incident.
On Tuesday, seven flights, including two from Air India, were impacted by bomb threats from another X account, which has since been suspended. Some posts showed the user tagging the airline and local police while providing flight details.
Air India said it is cooperating with authorities to trace the culprits and may pursue legal action to recover financial losses caused by the threats.
Every airport in India has a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee, which evaluates the severity of threats and decides on the necessary measures. This could involve bomb disposal units, sniffer dogs, ambulances, police, and medical personnel.
During such incidents, passengers are evacuated along with all baggage and cargo, which are then thoroughly screened. Security and engineering teams inspect the aircraft before it is cleared for departure, causing costly delays for both airlines and security agencies.
In cases involving international flights, foreign authorities are also drawn into the response, such as in Singapore and Canada.
Singapore’s defense minister said two fighter jets were scrambled on Tuesday to escort an Air India Express flight from Madurai to Singapore, steering it away from populated areas before it safely landed at Changi Airport, where the Airport Police took over the investigation.
In Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is investigating the bomb threat that forced an Air India flight to Chicago to land at Iqaluit Airport. The passengers were later flown to Chicago on a Canadian Air Force aircraft, while the Air India plane remains grounded.
