Akasa Air and IndiGo flights receive bomb threats which later turn out to be hoax
On Wednesday, two flights, one from Akasa Air and another from IndiGo, received bomb threats but they were later discovered to be hoax. This marks the twelfth such incidence within the last three days.
Previously, a flight from Mumbai to Delhi operated by IndiGo had to be diverted to Ahmedabad due to a fake bomb threat received through social media. The plane departed from Mumbai on Tuesday night with almost 200 passengers and crew on board. The threat was verified as not a fake threat on Wednesday.
Today, an Akasa Air flight heading to Bengaluru had to go back to Delhi due to a bomb threat. Flight QP1335, with 184 passengers on board, departed from Delhi and had an emergency declared at 1:15 pm.
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The plane then made an emergency landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the capital city. Later, the threat also proved to be fake.
Akasa Air announced that the flight was directed to an isolation bay upon landing, where passengers were safely deplaned, offered refreshments, and kept informed regularly.
“Akasa Air flight QP 1335, flying from Delhi to Bengaluru on October 16, 2024, and carrying 174 passengers, three infants and seven crew members on board, received a security alert. The Akasa Air Emergency Response teams monitored the situation to ensure all support was provided to the operating teams and information was transparently disseminated to relevant stakeholders,” an Akasa Air spokesperson said.
“The Akasa Air teams are ready on the ground to support all passengers in ensuring their safety and comfort, which includes offering refreshments and frequent updates throughout the process,” added the spokesperson.
Civil Aviation Ministry expected to hold high-level meet to take stock of the situation
The civil aviation ministry is expected to hold a high-level meeting on October 16 to assess the multiple bomb threats plaguing the aviation industry.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has been working with cybersecurity agencies and cops to trace the calls and find out the culprits.