More than 90 aircraft have had to cancel takeoff, divert your route or make emergency landings over the threat of fake bombs at Indian airports. The messages were disseminated, for the most part, through social networks such as X.
The fake bombs have unleashed chaos this week causing fear among passengers and the rescheduling of flights to or from India, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Indonesia, Turkey or Singapore.
All flights landed without incident, but the wave of threats has led to the diversion of planes to Canada and Germany and the deployment of fighters to escort the planes in the United Kingdom and Singapore.
The Indian government and civil aviation authorities have warned that “very strict measures” will be taken for the spread of false bomb threats. New Delhi’s civil aviation authorities have not reported how many threats have been received in the last week, but the Times of India and News18 reported more than 70 hoaxes targeting domestic and international flights since October 13. .
On Saturday alone there were at least 30 hoaxes and on Sunday there were at least 20 more threats to different airlines. Indian airline IndiGo confirmed that six of its flights had received threats on Sunday. Two corresponded to national routes and four to international routes.which linked Indian cities with Jeddah and Dammam (Saudi Arabia), as well as two different flights to Istanbul (Türkiye).
“The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority”IndiGo stated in a statement. “We are working closely with the relevant authorities and taking all necessary precautions.”
A minor detained
The global impact of delays and diversions has weighed on airline schedules and costs. At least one person – a minor – has been detained in India, but the threats have continued. “All others responsible for the disturbances will be identified and duly prosecuted,” Indian Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu declared on Wednesday after the arrest.
According to a report by ‘The Indian Express’, an anonymous account on X, formerly Twitter, was suspended after post bomb threats against at least 40 flights on Friday and Saturday. These included Indian and international airlines, including from the United States and New Zealand.
«There are bombs placed on board, no one will come out alive. “Hurry up and evacuate the plane,” read the identical messages from the suspended account, the newspaper reported. Among the latest flights affected was an Air India plane en route from Mumbai to New York, which was searched by US security officials after its safe landing on Saturday.
Other affected flights were that of an Air India plane from New Delhi to Chicago, which was forced to make a emergency landing in the Canadian city of Iqaluitin the far north of the country, on Tuesday. The Canadian Air Force had to transport the passengers. On the same day, Singapore sent fighter jets to escort an Air India Express plane. On Thursday, British RAF fighter jets escorted an Air India Boeing 777-300 following a threat against the plane, which landed safely in London.
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