India’s airlines face uncertainties over fake bomb threats ahead of key holidays

Over less than two weeks until Wednesday, Indian airlines have received bomb threats affecting more than 120 flights, according to the Press Trust of India news agency. The threats were sent via social media, emails and even scrawled on washrooms, forcing airlines to divert flights or make emergency landings for safety checks.

“From speaking to industry stakeholders in India, my understanding is that the situation of hoax security calls to airlines is unprecedented. The inconveniences to passengers and cost to airline operations are significant,” said Mayur Patel, head of Asia at travel data provider OAG.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Monday that once a bomb threat was received, security agencies were bound under international guidelines to follow detailed safety protocols “because for us safety and security is the foremost aspect” of air travel.

To combat the menace, the government plans to introduce a law that would place hoax callers on a no-fly list under the Aircraft Security Rules. Authorities were also working on legal amendments to recognise such malicious calls as offences, with suspects facing possible investigation and prosecution without a warrant, Naidu said.

Indian laws currently only recognise such offences while an aircraft is airborne and have few provisions to deal with offenders when planes are parked at the airport, according to the minister.