Indigo, Akasa Flights Receive Bomb Threats - 12th Such Incident In 3 Days

Two flights, one from Akasa Air and other from IndiGo, received bomb threats on Wednesday, which were later confirmed to be hoax calls. This marks the 12th such incident over the past three days.

Earlier, an IndiGo flight travelling from Mumbai to Delhi was diverted to Ahmedabad after a hoax bomb threat was received via social media. The flight, carrying nearly 200 passengers and crew members, had departed from Mumbai on Tuesday night. The threat was deemed a hoax on Wednesday.

Today, a Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight was forced to return to Delhi following a bomb threat. Flight QP1335, with 184 passengers on board, took off from Delhi, and an emergency was declared at 1:15 pm.

The aircraft made an emergency landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, where the threat was later confirmed to be another hoax.

In a statement, Akasa Air explained that the flight was taken to an isolation bay after landing, and passengers were safely deplaned, provided with refreshments, and given regular updates.

An Akasa Air spokesperson said, "Akasa Air flight QP 1335, flying from Delhi to Bengaluru on 16 October 2024, carrying 174 passengers, three infants, and seven crew members, 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."

The spokesperson added, "The Captain followed all required emergency procedures, diverted the flight back to Delhi and landed safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport at 1:48 pm."

In line with safety protocols, the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay upon landing, and passengers were deplaned at 1:57 pm, as local authorities conducted necessary safety and security checks.

The spokesperson further noted, "The Akasa Air teams are on the ground and prepared to assist all passengers, ensuring their safety and comfort, including providing refreshments and regular updates throughout the process."

10 Flights Receive Hoax Bomb Threats in 48 Hours

On Tuesday, bomb threats were reported on a Delhi-Chicago Air India flight, a Jaipur-Bengaluru Air India Express flight, a Dammam-Lucknow IndiGo flight, a Darbhanga-Mumbai SpiceJet flight, a Siliguri-Bengaluru Akasa Air flight, an Alliance Air Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight, and an Air India Express flight from Madurai to Singapore.

On Monday, two IndiGo flights and one Air India flight faced similar hoax bomb threats. These were the Mumbai-New York Air India flight, a Muscat-bound IndiGo flight, and another IndiGo flight heading to Jeddah.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is collaborating with cybersecurity agencies and police to identify the individuals responsible for these threats.