Over 30 flights receive bomb threats on Saturday; BCAS holds meeting with airlines
New Delhi/ Mumbai, Oct 19: More than 30 flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats on Saturday, sending security agencies into a tizzy and causing hardships to hundreds of passengers as well as staff at airports.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) held a meeting with CEOs and representatives of airlines in the national capital.
Flights of Air India, Vistara, IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Star Air, and Alliance Air received bomb threats on Saturday, sources in the know said.
So far this week, more than 70 domestic and international flights of Indian airlines have received bomb threats, with most of them turning out to be hoaxes.
As many as six flights of Vistara, five each of IndiGo and Akasa Air received security threats, according to the airlines.
The sources said more than 30 flights received bomb threats mostly through social media since Saturday morning. In at least one of the flights, a note was found in the lavatory saying there was a bomb in the flight.
The five flights of Vistara that received threats are UK106 (Singapore to Mumbai), UK027 (Mumbai to Frankfurt), UK107 (Mumbai to Singapore), UK121 (Delhi to Bangkok) and UK131 (Mumbai to Colombo).
"Following the protocol, all relevant authorities were promptly alerted and all security procedures are being adhered to, as per the guidance from the authorities and security agencies," an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
Besides, there was a security concern regarding Vistara flight UK624 from Udaipur to Mumbai, and after landing, the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay for mandatory checks.
A note was found in the lavatory of the aircraft saying there is a bomb in the flight, a source in the know said.
Also, the airline's flight UK027 from Mumbai to Frankfurt had a security concern and the flight landed safely at the Frankfurt airport. In the morning, the flight had received a bomb threat through social media.
Akasa Air received security threats for five flights -- QP 1323 (Bengaluru to Guwahati), QP 1371 (Goa to Mumbai), QP 1373 (Bagdogra to Bengaluru), QP 1385 (Mumbai to Bagdogra), and QP 1405 (Hyderabad to Delhi).
"Following defined procedures and after thorough inspections of all five aircraft, they have been released," an airline spokesperson said.
IndiGo issued statements for five flights in relation to threats received by them. They are 6E17 (Mumbai to Istanbul), 6E11 (Delhi to Istanbul), 6E184 (Jodhpur to Delhi), 6E108 (Hyderabad to Chandigarh), and 6E58 (Jeddah to Mumbai).
Regarding the two flights to Istanbul, the airline said the passengers disembarked safely.
The Jodhpur-Delhi flight, the carrier said, landed in the national capital and customers have disembarked the aircraft.
About the Hyderabad-Chandigarh flight, and Jeddah-Mumbai flight, IndiGo said upon landing, the aircraft were isolated and all passengers were safely disembarked.
Among others, an Alliance Air flight from Kochi to Bengaluru received a bomb threat.
With a significant number of flights receiving threats, passengers as well as staff at some of the airports faced a tough time since the planes concerned were moved to isolation bays and security protocol had to be followed.
The handle on X, through which some of the bomb threats to flights were issued, has been deactivated.
Meanwhile, the civil aviation ministry plans to put in place strict norms to prevent incidents of hoax bomb threats to airlines, including placing the perpetrators in the no-fly list.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
