As of November 14, India’s airlines and airports received 999 hoax bomb threats this year, according to the country’s deputy civil aviation minister. This number is nearly ten times higher than the threats reported in 2023, Mr. Murlidhar Mohol noted.
Over 500 of these threats were reported in the last two weeks of October alone. The surge in hoax threats caused significant disruptions to flight schedules and services.
Mr. Mohol confirmed that all the recent threats were hoaxes, with “no actual threat detected” at any airports or aircraft in India. In response, police have filed 256 complaints and arrested 12 individuals connected to the threats.
This rise in hoax threats marks an unprecedented increase compared to past years. Between 2014 and 2017, there were only 120 bomb hoax alerts, with nearly half targeting Delhi and Mumbai, the country’s busiest airports.
The recent hoaxes led to several flight delays and diversions. Additionally, international agencies were involved in incidents such as a bomb threat against an Air India Express flight, which prompted Singapore’s Air Force to deploy two fighter jets for an escort. Another Air India flight from New Delhi to Chicago was diverted to a remote Canadian airport due to a bomb threat, with passengers later flown to Chicago by the Canadian Air Force.
India’s civil aviation ministry emphasized its commitment to ensuring flight safety amid these incidents. Airports in the country have a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee to evaluate threats and determine appropriate responses, which can involve bomb disposal teams, sniffer dogs, and police, among others. The process includes offloading passengers, baggage screening, and aircraft searches, all contributing to significant delays and costs for airlines and security services.
Last year, over 150 million passengers traveled domestically in India, with more than 3,000 flights arriving and departing daily across the country’s 150-plus airports, including 33 international hubs.
