India’s Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has reassured passengers that the country’s skies are completely safe, despite a surge in bomb threat hoaxes. Director General Zulfiquar Hasan urged passengers to fly without fear.
Today, several flights across India received bomb threats, leading to emergency protocols being activated and pilots diverting flights to land before reaching their destinations. This follows yesterday’s alarming false claims that bombs were on 32 Indian aircraft.
Over the past six days, more than 70 bomb threat hoaxes targeting domestic and international flights in India have been reported, all of which were confirmed as false. The person responsible for these threats has been placed on a no-fly list, and another account linked to 46 false reports has been banned.
In response, India’s Bureau of Civil Aviation Security met with airline representatives to discuss these threats. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan authorities reported a nonspecific bomb threat to a flight from Mumbai to Colombo just 10 minutes before landing at Bandaranaike International Airport.
India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation is now in talks to amend the Aircraft Act of 1934 and the Aircraft Rules of 1937, proposing stricter penalties for hoax bomb threats, including up to 5 years of imprisonment and inclusion on a no-fly list for offenders. A committee will be formed to draft the necessary legal amendments.
