12 Indian flights receive bomb threats in 3 days
· CNA · JoinTwo more Indian passenger aircraft were diverted on Wednesday (Oct 16), the latest in a string of hoax bomb threats made to airline companies involving the country - bringing the total to 12 in three days.
Akasa Air flight, which was flying from India's capital New Delhi to the southern city of Bengaluru, "received a security alert" and the flight was ordered to return as a "precaution".
Akasa Air said emergency response teams were monitoring the situation and that the captain had followed "all required emergency procedures for a safe landing in Delhi".
Another flight, domestic carrier IndiGo flying from Mumbai to New Delhi, was diverted to Ahmedabad.
Zulfiquar Hasan, director-general of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), told the Times of India newspaper that "Indian skies are absolutely safe" and said police were working to identify the culprits.
"We are confident of tracing all those behind these threat messages and very strict action under law will be taken," Hasan told the newspaper.
On Tuesday, an Air India Express flight headed to Singapore was escorted by two F-15SG jets away from populated areas. It later touched down at Changi Airport.
It was one of several flights taking off from India that were disrupted on Monday and Tuesday due to bomb threats, media outlets in India reported.
An Air India Express flight from Ayodhya to Bengaluru also received a hoax bomb threat on Tuesday, according to NDTV.
One Air India flight from New Delhi to Chicago was forced to make an emergency landing at Iqaluit Airport in Canada after a "security threat" was posted online, the airline said.
A report also said that a SpiceJet flight SG116 from Darbhanga to Mumbai and an Akasa Air flight QP1373 from Bagdogra to Bengaluru also received bomb threats on Tuesday.
Similar hoaxes were received by IndiGo for two flights from Mumbai on Monday – one to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and another to Muscat in Oman, according to media outlets in India.
A Mumbai to New York Air India flight was also affected as it diverted to Delhi on Monday, according to Indian media reports.
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