3 Bomb Hoax ThreatsSpell Chaos For Flyers

New Delhi: Bomb threats made it Manic Monday for three international flights and close to 600 passengers onboard them. One flight — Air India's Mumbai-New York — was diverted to Delhi and two others were delayed for thorough checks before being allowed to proceed to their destinations. Aviation security officials confirmed later that the threat messages proved to be hoaxes.
The Air India flight received a bomb threat on social media platform X.Usha Rangnani, DCP (IGI), said the aircraft carrying 239 passengers made an emergency landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. "A thorough inspection following standard security protocols was conducted. No suspicious items were detected," Rangnani said.
Airport sources said that soon after the threat was received, a bomb threat assessment committee was convened. An airport official said, "After it landed around 3.40am on Monday, the Air India flight was immediately diverted to an isolation bay for a thorough check."
Two IndiGo flights, 6E1275 and 6E56, bound, respectively, for Muscat and Jeddah, also underwent security inspections at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai after receiving bomb threats. A CISF official said the threat on X was termed as specific as it claimed the flights would be hijacked mid-air or were carrying a bomb that would go off in the sky. "However, nothing suspicious was discovered during the inspection," said an official.
An Air India spokesperson said, "Flight AI119 operating from Mumbai to JFK on Oct 14 received a specific security alert and, on instructions of the govt's security regulatory committee, was diverted to Delhi. We confirm that all 239 passengers and 19 crew disembarked and are currently undergoing security procedures."
The spokesperson added, "Our staff on the ground are making sure to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected disruption. Guests will be moved to hotels once security protocols are completed. The flight has been rescheduled to the morning of Oct 15."
An airport official said another aircraft, AI1119, will depart for New York on Tuesday at 5am with the passengers of AI119. Murlidhar Mohol, Union minister of state for civil aviation and cooperation, who landed at IGI hours after the incident, reviewed the situation. "While the due security checks and safety protocols are being diligently followed, directed the airport officials & the Air India staff to arrange all the necessary assistance as well as convenient accommodation for the passengers affected," Mohol posted on X.
Hoax messages severely cripple flight schedules. On getting a threat like this, airports/aircraft, passengers and baggage have to be checked thoroughly. Getting the all-clear nod takes several hours and sometimes by then the maximum time for which a crew can operate lapses, leaving the airlines to arrange for additional crew.
Given the increasing frequency of such calls, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security had proposed on June 18 that anyone indulging in hoax threats against flights, airports or an aviation-sector related facility should be put on the no-fly list for five years across airlines. That day, BCAS director general Zulfiquar Hasan had announced, "Six people have already been arrested so far for issuing hoax threats."
Meanwhile, another Air India flight on its way to Kolkata was forced to return mid-air on Monday soon after taking off from Delhi with the airline saying the reason was a technical issue. "The aircraft landed safely for precautionary checks," said an Air India spokesperson. Alternative arrangements were made to fly the passengers to Kolkata alongside full refund on cancellation and complimentary rescheduling to another date.