New Delhi: Over the past 48 hours, ten flights, including an Air India plane carrying 211 people from Delhi to Chicago, have received bomb threat messages via social media, leading security agencies to conduct specialized counter-terrorism drills at various airports.
Seven threats were reported on the microblogging platform X on Tuesday, following three international flights from Mumbai that received bomb threats the previous day, causing distress to numerous passengers and airline staff. The messages from Monday were later deemed to be false alarms.
Threats targeted Air India Express flight IX765 from Jaipur to Bengaluru via Ayodhya, SpiceJet flight SG116 from Darbhanga to Mumbai, Akasa Air flight QP1373 from Bagdogra to Bengaluru, Air India flight AI127 from Delhi to Chicago, IndiGo flight 6E98 from Dammam to Lucknow, Alliance Air flight 9I650 from Amritsar to Dehradun, and Air India Express flight IX684 from Madurai to Singapore.
Following these incidents, the X account was suspended by the platform after the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) contacted cyber-security agencies.
An Air India Express spokesperson stated to PTI that the airline, along with other carriers, received a “specific” security threat from an unverified social media account. Consequently, security measures were swiftly implemented as per the directives of the government’s Bomb Threat Assessment Committee. The flight in question landed safely, and the aircraft is set to resume operations after completing all required security checks.
The most significant consequence was for flight IX684, which was escorted out to sea by two F-15 combat jets from the Singapore Air Force. “Air India Express received an email about a bomb on board flight AXB684 en route to Singapore. Two RSAF F-15SGs scrambled and escorted the aircraft away from populated areas, ensuring it landed safely at Singapore Changi Airport at approximately 10:04 pm tonight,” stated Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in a post, noting that investigations are continuing.
10 updates on bomb threats to Indian flights
- The SpiceJet aircraft landed safely at the Mumbai airport and was directed to an isolation bay as a precautionary measure.
- An Akasa Air spokesperson said their flight received a security alert on board. “The captain followed all required emergency procedures and landed safely at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru at 13:39 hours. All passengers were deplaned and the local authorities undertook the necessary safety and security checks after which the aircraft was released for operations,” the spokesperson said.
- The Air India flight was diverted to the Iqaluit airport in Canada after it became the “subject of a security threat posted online”.
- IndiGo said in a statement that it was “cognisant of a situation involving flight 6E 98 from Dammam to Lucknow”. The Dammam-Lucknow flight landed at the Jaipur airport following its diversion. The aircraft has been sent to an isolation bay, an official at the Jaipur airport told PTI.
- An Alliance Air official said all “precautionary measures” were being taken for the Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight, which was undergoing security checks at the Dehradun airport.
- Air India Express sources told the news agency that their Madurai-Singapore flight was awaiting approval from Singaporean authorities to land.
- The suspect X handle tagged the respective airlines’ and some police handles, claiming that bombs were placed on these planes, the sources said.
- On Monday, four different X handles issued a similar threat to three international flights originating from Mumbai.
- All the messages on Monday were declared a hoax after security and intelligence agencies as well as airline and airport operators carried out stipulated anti-terrorist security drills that are activated in case of bomb or hijack threats.
- Officials said the BCAS has sought the help of Indian cyber-security agencies and police to trace the person or people behind these threats.
