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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Delhi-bound Air India flight carrying MPs diverted due to snag, Venugopal says it was 'harrowing'
New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader and Chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee K C Venugopal has claimed that an Air India flight carrying him and several other MPs from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi "came frighteningly close to tragedy".
In a statement, the airline said that Air India flight AI2455, flying from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, was diverted to Chennai on Sunday evening due to a technical issue.
In a post on X on Sunday night, Venugopal said, "Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi -- carrying myself, several MPs and hundreds of passengers -- came frighteningly close to tragedy today."
"What began as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing journey. Shortly after take-off, we were hit by unprecedented turbulence. About an hour later, the Captain announced a flight signal fault and diverted to Chennai...
"For nearly two hours, we circled the airport awaiting clearance to land, until a heart-stopping moment during our first attempt -- another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway. In that split second, the Captain's quick decision to pull up saved every life on board. The flight landed safely on the second attempt," he said.
"We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety cannot depend on luck. I urge @DGCAIndia and @MoCA_GoI to investigate this incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again," the Congress leader wrote.
Responding to Venugopal on X, Air India said, "We would like to clarify that the diversion to Chennai was precautionary due to a suspected technical issue and poor weather conditions."
"A go-around was instructed by Chennai ATC (air traffic control) during the first attempted landing at Chennai airport, not because of the presence of another aircraft on the runway ... Our pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed standard procedures throughout the flight," Air India claimed.
"We understand that such an experience can be unsettling and regret the inconvenience the diversion may have caused to you. However, safety is always our priority," the airline added.
The flight AI2455, operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, was airborne for more than two hours, according to information available on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
"The flight crew of AI2455 operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi on August 10 made a precautionary diversion to Chennai due to a suspected technical issue and given the weather conditions en route," the airline said in a statement earlier.
Air India said the flight landed safely in Chennai, where the aircraft will undergo the necessary checks.
Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destinations at the earliest, Air India said, and regretted the inconvenience caused.
Details about the number of passengers were not available.
The flight took off a little past 8 pm from Thiruvananthapuram and landed in Chennai at around 10.35 pm, according to Flightradar24.com.
In recent weeks, there have been instances of Air India's aircraft facing technical snags.
