Following the recent fake bomb threats received by several aircraft, the Indian Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has held a meeting with the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of domestic aviation companies.
This meeting was held at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan in Delhi. This is the headquarters of the Airport Authority of India.
BCAS Director General Zulfikar Hasan assured the CEOs of airlines companies that all safety protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) are being completely followed.
Over the past few days, more than 40 flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats, which later turned out to be hoax calls.
Particularly on Saturday, more than 30 flights received threat messages, most of which were flights of domestic airlines.
Speaking to ANI, BCAS Director General Zulfikar Hasan said, “Indian airspace is completely safe. The existing protocol (to deal with the situation) is strong and is being strictly followed. We assure passengers that they should fly without any fear and I would say that they should travel by more flights.”
pressure on aviation sector
Sources said the flood of fake threats started late Friday night, and by Saturday afternoon, 29 flights of Indian airlines had received such messages. Officials said the situation has become so serious that major metro airports are running out of remote areas to park planes that are being screened for the threat. A senior officer said, “There has been an unprecedented increase in threats since Friday night. “It has gone completely out of control.”
The effect of these threats is now visible on foreign aviation companies as well. According to sources, flights of foreign companies like American Airlines and JetBlue are also being threatened. On Friday night, Vistara’s Delhi-London flight had to be diverted to Frankfurt.
Air India’s New York-Mumbai flight was delayed by three hours as the plane had to be re-checked. Similarly, IndiGo flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul also received threats, while flights of Akasa, SpiceJet and other companies were also given similar threats.
statement of aviation companies
A Vistara spokesperson said, “On October 18, flight UK17 from Delhi to London received a security threat on social media. As per protocol, all concerned authorities were immediately informed and as a precautionary measure the pilots decided to divert the flight to Frankfurt. All mandatory checks were carried out at Frankfurt Airport, after which the aircraft was allowed to complete its journey. At Vistara, the safety of our customers, crew and aircraft is our top priority.”
Indigo also confirmed similar threats. Threats were received for Delhi-Istanbul (6E 11) and Mumbai-Istanbul (6E 17) flights.
According to IndiGo, “The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority and we are taking all necessary precautions in coordination with the concerned authorities.”
IndiGo’s Jodhpur-New Delhi flight (6E 184) also received a security alert, following which the aircraft made a safe landing in Delhi and the passengers were safely disembarked.
According to sources, since last Sunday, more than 40 such hoax threats have been received regarding Indian and international flights, which has increased additional pressure on the aviation sector.
BCAS and related security agencies are investigating all these incidents.
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