NEW DELHI: Seven flights received bomb threats online on Tuesday, threatening to blow up the planes, prompting security agencies to undertake counter-terrorism drills.
The threats, posted on the microblogging site X, occurred a day after three international flights departing from Mumbai faced similar bomb threats, causing inconvenience to hundreds of passengers and airline staff.The messages posted on Monday were later determined to be a hoax.
According to a report from PTI, the sources revealed that an X handle issued threats to seven flights on Tuesday, including an Air India Express flight from Jaipur to Bengaluru via Ayodhya (IX765), a SpiceJet flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai (SG116), an Akasa Air flight from Bagdogra to Bengaluru (QP 1373), an Air India flight from Delhi to Chicago (AI 127), an Indigo flight from Dammam (Saudi Arabia) to Lucknow (6E 98), an Alliance Air Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight (9I 650), and an Air India Express flight (IX 684) from Madurai to Singapore.
Following a request from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to cyber-security agencies, the X handle responsible for the threats has been suspended by the platform.
An Air India Express spokesperson informed PTI that they, along with several other operators, received a “specific” security threat from an unverified social media handle.
The X user posted, “@AirIndiaX @jaipur_police @JprRuralPolice I placed bombs onboard of Flight IX765. The bombs will go off very soon. Blood will spread everywhere. Hurry up and evacuate, you don’t have much time left.”
In response, security protocols were immediately activated as per the instructions of the government-appointed Bomb Threat Assessment Committee. The flight landed safely, and the aircraft will be released for operations after completing all required security procedures, according to the spokesperson.
The SpiceJet aircraft landed safely at the Mumbai airport and was directed to an isolation bay as a precautionary measure. The X user threatened, “@flyspicejet Hi. There are explosives onboard of Flight SEJ116. The bombs will go off soon. You will all die. Down to plane quickly before it’s too late.”
A SpiceJet spokesperson confirmed that all passengers disembarked normally, and security agencies were promptly notified. After thorough security checks, the aircraft was cleared for further operations.
An Akasa Air spokesperson said that their flight received a security alert on board. The X user threatened, “Placed explosives onboard of Flight QP1373. Which departed from Siliguri and is Landing in Bengaluru. You will all die.”
The captain followed all necessary emergency procedures and landed safely at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru at 13:39 hours. All passengers were deplaned, and local authorities conducted the required safety and security checks before releasing the aircraft for operations.
The Air India flight was also diverted to the Iqaluit airport in Canada after becoming the subject of an online security threat. The X user wrote, “@AirIndia @DelhiPolice @CellDelhi. There are bombs onboard of Flight Al127. The bombs will soon go off. The flight departed from Delhi and is going towards Chicago. You will all die. This is extremely serious.”
An Air India spokesperson said that the aircraft and passengers are being re-screened according to the established security protocol, and Air India has activated agencies at the airport to assist the passengers until their journey can resume.
Indigo acknowledged being aware of a situation involving flight 6E 98 from Dammam to Lucknow. A spokesperson for the airline said that the safety and security of their passengers and crew is their highest priority and that they are working closely with the relevant authorities and taking all necessary precautions as per the guidelines. The Dammam-Lucknow flight landed at the Jaipur airport following its diversion and has been sent to an isolation bay, according to an official at the Jaipur airport.
An Alliance Air official confirmed that all precautionary measures were being taken for the Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight, which was undergoing security checks at the Dehradun airport.
Air India Express sources mentioned that their Madurai-Singapore flight was awaiting approval from Singaporean authorities for landing.
The suspect X handle tagged the respective airlines’ and some police handles, claiming that bombs were placed on these planes, according to the sources.
Four different X handles issued similar threats to three international flights originating from Mumbai on Monday. All the messages on Monday were declared a hoax after security and intelligence agencies, as well as airline and airport operators, carried out stipulated anti-terrorist security drills that are activated in case of bomb or hijack threats, the sources said.
Officials said that the BCAS has sought the assistance of Indian cyber-security agencies and police to identify the person or people responsible for these threats.