In the past three days, as many as 19 flights have received bomb threats, following which a Riyadh-bound IndiGo flight was diverted to Muscat, according to the officials.
In less than 24 hours, 9 flights received bomb threats and the total count has climbed to at least 19 in three days. The threats, received through social media, have turned out to be hoax.
On Wednesday, bomb threats were received by four IndiGo flights, two SpiceJet flights and one flight of Akasa Air. On Tuesday late night, one flight each of Vistara and Air India Express had received the threats.
IndiGo received bomb threats for three flights, including the Riyadh-Mumbai flight 6E 74 that was diverted to Muscat (Oman). Riyadh is a city in Saudi Arabia.
"The aircraft has been isolated, and all passengers have been safely disembarked," an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
Another flight 6E 1011 from Mumbai to Singapore received a security-related alert and the flight landed at Singapore.
Also, IndiGo's flight 6E 515, operating from Chennai to Lucknow, received a security-related alert. After landing at Lucknow, the aircraft was positioned at an isolated bay and all passengers have been safely disembarked, the airline spokesperson said in a statement.
Meanwhile, late on Tuesday, a Mumbai-bound IndiGo flight from the national capital was diverted to Ahmedabad after a bomb threat.
An Akasa Air flight enroute to Bengaluru returned to Delhi on Wednesday afternoon following a bomb threat.
"Akasa Air flight QP 1335, flying from Delhi to Bengaluru on October 16, 2024, and carrying 174 passengers, 3 infants and 7 crew members on board, received a security alert," an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
A SpiceJet spokesperson said the airline's X handle received a direct message indicating a bomb threat concerning two flights -- one was Leh-Delhi and the other was Darbangha-Mumbai.
"Passengers on both aircraft disembarked safely. After receiving the necessary approvals from the concerned authorities the aircraft were released for further operations," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Vistara flight UK 161 from Delhi to Hong Kong received a security threat through social media on October 15. The flight landed safely at Hong Kong on Wednesday early morning where all mandatory security checks were conducted before the aircraft was cleared to resume operations, an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
On Tuesday night, an Air India Express flight IX 437 from Kochi to Dubai received a bomb threat and the flight later landed safely at Dubai, sources in the know said.
There was no comment from Air India Express on the incident.
The issue of multiple hoax threat messages to various airlines came up before a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.
Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam suggested in the meeting of the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, which is headed by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha, that investigators have gathered some information and are taking action. They are working on a few other cases of such hoax messages, he added.
He, however, cited the sensitivity of information due to the ongoing probe into the matter to decline to share more details, according to sources.
As many as nine flights received bomb threat on Tuesday and one of them, Air India's AI 127 flight from Delhi to Chicago, was diverted to an airport in Canada. The stranded passengers at the Iqaluit airport were ferried to Chicago by a Canadian Air Force plane.
On Tuesday, an Air India Express flight IX 684 from Madurai to Singapore had received a bomb threat. Singapore Armed Forces had scrambled two fighter jets to escort the Air India Express plane away from populated areas before it landed safely at Singapore's Changi airport.
Three flights received bomb threats on Monday.
Cops summon minor boy, father from Chhattisgarh
A teenage boy, his father and another person from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh have been served with a notice issued by the Mumbai police to join questioning in connection with bomb threats posted on social media targeting three flights, officials said.
Three international flights originating from Mumbai received bomb threats on Monday.
The bomb threat was received through a post on the micro-blogging platform X and the handle is being verified, an official said.
"On Monday, a bomb threat was posted on X for an Air India's Mumbai-New York flight and IndiGo's Mumbai to Muscat and Mumbai to Jeddah flights," Rajnandgaon Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg said.
After receiving information about the tweet's connection with Rajnandgaon, Raipur Cyber Cell, and Rajnandgaon's Kotwali Police and Cyber Cell collected electronic data related to the case, he said.
"A team of Mumbai police reached Rajnandgaon on Monday. With the help of Rajnandgaon police, a notice was issued to a 17-year-old boy, who is a resident of the city, his father, and the person whose X account was used. They were summoned for questioning and further action to Mumbai," the official said.
The Mumbai police have registered a case against an unidentified person and the X handle.
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