Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu announced on Monday that the government is planning to amend laws to address the growing number of bomb threats targeting airlines. This includes placing the culprits responsible for such threats on a no-fly list.
In the past week alone, nearly 100 flights operated by Indian airlines have received bomb threats, most of which turned out to be hoaxes.
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Govt considering amendments to aviation security rules
Naidu said the government is considering amendments to aviation security rules and the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, to strengthen measures. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is working closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs on the matter.
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"From the Ministry, we have thought of some legislative action if it is required. We have come to the conclusion that there are two areas that we can explore - 1) Amendment in Aircraft Security Rules...one of the ideas that we want to propagate by changing these rules is that once we catch hold of the perpetrator who is behind this, we want to put them in the no-flying list... 2) Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act...,” Naidu said.
{{/usCountry}}"From the Ministry, we have thought of some legislative action if it is required. We have come to the conclusion that there are two areas that we can explore - 1) Amendment in Aircraft Security Rules...one of the ideas that we want to propagate by changing these rules is that once we catch hold of the perpetrator who is behind this, we want to put them in the no-flying list... 2) Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act...,” Naidu said.
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Bomb threats hit Indian airlines hard
On Sunday alone, over 20 flights from IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Vistara were impacted by bomb threats. This prompted a meeting between BCAS officials and airline CEOs, as the threats continue to cause panic and force extensive security checks.
Additionally, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) director general RS Bhatti and BCAS director general Zulfiquar Hasan met with Union home secretary Govind Mohan on Monday to discuss the recent surge in hoax calls.
During the half-hour meeting at the Home Ministry, both director generals briefed the home secretary on the recent spate of hoax bomb threats, which have caused widespread panic and led to extensive security checks by Indian aviation authorities, intelligence agencies, and other departments.