Hoax bomb threats to airlines see massive increase from 71 in 2023 to 728 in 2024, Parliament told

Airline operators in India received as many as 728 hoax bomb threats in 2024, a massive increase from just 71 such incidents reported in the year preceding it, information shared by the Ministry of Civil Aviation with Parliament has revealed.

A total 13 persons had been arrested in 2024 in connection with hoax bomb threats, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, stated in the Rajya Sabha on February 3 while replying to a question by MP Parimal Nathwani.

In December last year, Mohol had informed Parliament that airlines in India had reported 809 hoax bomb threats in the last 10 years. Four hoax bomb threat messages were reported in 2020, two in 2021 and 13 in 2022, which shot up to 71 in 2023.

Data compiled by the Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS) placed in Parliament today showed that out of the 728 threats in 2024, 14 pertained to eight foreign airlines. Emirates topped the list with five hoaxes, followed by Air Arabia with three. Aeroflot, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air received one hoax threat call each.

Eight Indian operators were also affected, with Indigo topping the list with 216 hoax calls, followed by Air India with 179 and Vistara 153. Akasa received 72 threats, SpiceJet 35, Alliance Air 26, Air India Express 19 and Star Air 14.

October 2024 had witnessed an unprecedented number of hoax bomb threats, with around 500 incidents being reported in a span of just two weeks, wreaking havoc on flight schedules and causing widespread disruption in air services.

Some of the targeted Indian flights were international and the threats had been received when these were over foreign airspace, which resulted in other governments and international agencies also getting involved. There were instances of other countries sending fighter aircraft to escort the affected flights.

“The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has mandated robust protocols for handling such threats. 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 acts accordingly,” Mohol said.

Every bomb threat is acted upon, by the airport authorities, air traffic controllers, aircrew and security agencies, in accordance with established protocols and appropriate response is initiated depending upon, the gravity of the threat, whether the aircraft is on ground or in flight, and if it is in Indian controlled airspace or beyond.

An aircraft on ground may be off-loaded and its passengers, cabin and cargo searched thoroughly, or if in mid-air, the flight may be diverted, aborted or escorted by military aircraft. Alongside, law enforcement, intelligence agencies and emergency services also swing into action. This can cause hours-long delays and additional financial burden, besides passenger inconvenience.

BCAS has also issued advisories to all civil aviation stakeholders in the country to ensure streamlined security measures and to prevent any unlawful interference with the airport operations and civilian flights.