Panaji: There is no end to the ongoing flight disruptions, with Akasa Air and IndiGo receiving hoax bomb threats on Sunday. This included 3 flights to Manohar International Airport, Mopa, and one at Goa International Airport, Dabolim.
As per security protocols, a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was constituted to assess the seriousness of the threat at the two airports. Akasa Air’s Delhi-Goa flight and IndiGo’s Goa-Ahmedabad flight were among those that fell victim to the hoax calls.
“Some of our flights operating on Oct 27 received security alerts. The Akasa Air Emergency Response Team is monitoring the situation and is in touch with the security and regulatory authorities,” said a spokesperson for Akasa Air.
“ We are following all safety and security procedures in coordination with local authorities, and the Akasa Air teams on the ground are prepared to assist passengers to ensure their safety and comfort,” said a spokesperson for Akasa Air.
Passengers were asked to disembark from the plane along with their cabin baggage and were subject to additional screening. The aircraft was also screened for explosives and suspicious items. Engineering and security teams scanned the plane before giving the green light for the aircraft to return to flight operations. This, in turn, led to additional delays and disruption of arrivals and departures.
“The problem is that we are unable to trace the origin of these hoax calls. As per protocol, the aircraft and the passengers were checked, but nothing was found. This is causing a lot of delays for the airlines,” said an Airports Authority of India official.
IndiGo received the intimation about the bomb threat after the aircraft took off from Goa International Airport. After discussions with all stakeholders, a decision was taken to let the aircraft continue to its destination for screening.
For Akasa Air, the additional screening caused a delay of over an hour. “This is an unnecessary problem for the passengers and the airlines,” said an official at Goa International Airport.
“Our flight QP 1371 was delayed by two hours. Passengers were stranded at Manohar International Airport. First, we were told 12.10pm, then 12.50pm, 1.10pm, and then 2.10pm,” said Neel, a passenger with Akasa Air. Taking to X to express his ire, Neel requested airlines to tell the ground staff to be courteous and provide lunch and support to the elderly and kids during disruptions caused by the hoax calls.
Three days earlier, the hoax callers targeted IndiGo, Vistara and Akasa Air, causing diversions and delays at Dabolim, and Mopa. Security agencies said that the threats originated on X.
On Saturday, 33 flights operated by Indian carriers received bomb threats, sources said. This adds to a growing trend, with over 300 flights receiving hoax threats, primarily through social media, in the last 13 days.