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Over 70 Air India, IndiGo, Vistara, Akasa flights get fresh bomb threats
About 20 flights each from Air India, Vistara, and IndiGo were affected, while Akasa Air received threats for around 14 flights.
More than 70 flights from various Indian airlines received fresh bomb threats on Thursday, news agency PTI reported citing sources. About 20 flights each from Air India, Vistara, and IndiGo were affected, while Akasa Air received threats for around 13 flights.
Following this, a total of 20 domestic and international flights of IndiGo Airlines received a security-related warning on Thursday, according to ANI. The airline said, “All customers were safely disembarked. We worked closely with the relevant authorities, and standard operating procedures were followed.”
An Akasa Air spokesperson mentioned that some of its flights operating on Thursday have received security alerts. "The Akasa Air Emergency Response teams are monitoring the situation and are in touch with the security and regulatory authorities. We are following all safety and security procedures in coordination with local authorities," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu said that the government plans to take legislative action to address instances of bomb threats to airlines, including placing perpetrators of such threats on the no-fly list.
Govt warns social media platform X
The central government slammed the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday for its handling of hoax bomb threats targeting domestic and international flights in recent days. Over the past eight days, more than 150 flights have received fake threats, leading to significant disruptions and security concerns. The impacted airlines include Akasa, Air India, IndiGo, and Vistara, with operations from Delhi to various destinations.
Cyber security agencies have suspended or blocked around 10 social media accounts in response to the crisis, primarily on X, since Monday. These agencies have identified common phrases used in the fake threats, such as "bombs" and "blood will spread everywhere," and are actively working to trace the primary email registrations and geographical locations of the accounts issuing these threats.
The government has confirmed that law enforcement agencies are actively investigating all cases of bomb threats against airlines and are closely monitoring the situation. Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu said that the government is treating the issue with utmost seriousness and is working to prevent similar incidents in the future.
