Over 50 domestic and international flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats on Tuesday. The tally of flights operated by Indian carriers receiving bomb threats has gone up to 80 since Monday night and 170 in little over a week.
According to sources, 13 flights each of Air India and IndiGo, over 12 flights of Akasa Air and 11 flights of Vistara received the threats on Tuesday.
On Monday night, 10 flights each of Air India, IndiGo and Vistara had received the threats. Three Jeddah-bound IndiGo flights had to be diverted to airports in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
An Akasa Air spokesperson said some of its flights operating on Tuesday received security alerts and that the airline is following all safety and security procedures in coordination with local authorities.
The airline did not mention the number of flights that received the security alerts.
There were no immediate statements from IndiGo, Air India and Vistara on the threats for their flights received on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, an IndiGo spokesperson said 10 flights received security-related alerts and passengers from the respective aircraft disembarked safely. This was in relation to the threats received on Monday night.
Out of these flights, flight 6E 77 (Bengaluru to Jeddah) was diverted to Doha, 6E 65 (Kozhikode to Jeddah) was diverted to Riyadh, and 6E 63 (Delhi to Jeddah) was redirected to Medina.
Jeddah, Riyadh and Medina are Saudi Arabian cities, and Doha is the capital of Qatar.
The other flights of IndiGo that received threats were 6E 83 (Delhi to Dammam), 6E 18 (Istanbul to Mumbai), 6E 12 (Istanbul to Delhi), 6E 164 (Mangaluru to Mumbai), 6E 75 (Ahmedabad to Jeddah), 6E 67 (Hyderabad to Jeddah) and 6E 118 (Lucknow to Pune), according to separate statements from the airline.
An Air India spokesperson confirmed that some Air India flights that operated on Monday were subject to security threats received on social media.
"Following the laid down protocols, relevant authorities were immediately alerted, and all security procedures strictly adhered to, as per guidance from the regulatory authorities and security agencies," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The airline did not mention details or the number of flights that had received the threats on Monday.
A Vistara spokesperson said a few of its flights that operated on Monday received security threats on social media.
"We immediately alerted the relevant authorities and are following all security procedures as directed by them," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Specific details were not disclosed.
Even though bomb threats are hoaxes, things cannot be taken non-seriously, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the government is planning legislative actions to deal with bomb threats to airlines, including placing the perpetrators on the no-fly list.
Amendments are being proposed to The Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act (SUASCA), 1982, whereby the perpetrators could be arrested and a probe can be initiated without a court order for offences when an aircraft is on the ground.
Also, changes are being planned to aircraft security rules to ensure stringent punishment for perpetrators of bomb threats to flights.
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