According to government data, 680 hoax calls were received in October, with the highest being made to IndiGo (197 hoax calls) followed by Air India (191). As many as 1,143 hoax bomb threats were made to domestic airlines between August 2022 and November 13, of which 994 were received this year itself, government data revealed.
In a response to MP Kartikeya Sharma in Parliament, the minister of state (MoS) for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Wednesday said, “As many as 27 hoax bomb threat calls were received between August and December 2022. The number increased to 122 in 2023, while the current year alone witnessed a sharp rise, with 994 calls reported as of mid-November 2024”.
He also clarified that the recent hoax threats received were from random stations and not from any specific locations. In a separate reply to MP John Brittas, Mohol said hoax bomb threats adversely affect operations of some flights. Mohol also mentioned the steps and action taken by authorities in this regard.
“The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, aviation security regulator in the country, has mandated robust protocols for handling such threats. Bomb threat contingency plan (BTCP), a detailed contingency plan, is in place to handle such threats. As a part of BTCP, every airport has a designated Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) which analyses the threat and acts accordingly”, he said. “In order to deal with hoax bomb threats, BCAS has issued advisories to all the Civil Aviation stakeholders in the country to ensure streamlined security measures and to prevent any unlawful interference with civil aviation,” he added.
IndiGo flights get most hoax calls
According to government data, 680 hoax calls were received in October, with the highest being made to IndiGo (197 hoax calls) followed by Air India (191), Vistara (151), Akasa Air (67) and SpiceJet (29). Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu, while responding to MP Sikander Kumar said that while the government currently has no rules, there is no legal provision for dealing specifically to prevent hoax threat to aircraft; an amendment in Aircraft Act, 1934 is under consideration in the government.
“According to Section 3(1)(d) of The Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, if any person communicates such information which he knows to be false so as to endanger the safety of an aircraft in flight, the person shall be punished with imprisonment for life and shall also be liable to fine. Amendment in the above Act and in Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023 is under consultation to make it more comprehensive as per evolving threats,” he said.
