881 hoax bomb threats have rocked Indian airlines since 2022: Centre tells Lok Sabha

The country's aviation sector is battling a worrying surge in hoax bomb threats, with official data revealing a staggering 881 false alerts to airline operators in last three and a half years, a threat spike of over 5,500 per cent since 2022.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation, in a written reply in Lok Sabha, confirmed the sharp rise, flagging 13 threats in 2022, 71 in 2023 and an explosive 728 hoax bomb calls in 2024 alone.

As of July 20, 2025, another 69 false threats have already been reported.

The information, sourced from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the country’s aviation security regulator, paints a disturbing picture of mounting fake alarms disrupting India's airspace.

Airlines operating in Karnataka have been subjected to 94 hoax bomb threats between 2021 and mid-2025. Shockingly, not a single arrest has been made in connection with these cases in the state, raising serious questions about deterrence and enforcement.

No legal action or identification of perpetrators has been recorded so far in Karnataka, despite repeated targeting of flights and airport terminals.

While the rising threat count is alarming, authorities claim that the impact on actual flight operations has been kept to a minimum.

The Ministry said that the Bomb Threat Contingency Plan (BTCP), a detailed contingency plan, is in place to handle such threats.

“As a part of BTCP, every airport has a designated Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) which analyses the threat and takes action. In order to deal with hoax bomb threats, BCAS has issued advisories to all the Civil Aviation stakeholders in the country to ensure maintenance of robust aviation security infrastructure and uphold public confidence in air travel,” said the Ministry.