Over 60 flights by Indian airlines hit by bomb threats in one day

New Delhi: More than 60 flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats on Monday, sources said. In the last 15 days, over 410 domestic and international flights by Indian carriers have been targeted with hoax bomb threats, many issued through social media.

The sources in the know said around 21 flights each of Air India and IndiGo, and about 20 flights of Vistara received the threats today.

An Air India spokesperson said a number of its flights were subject to security threats received on social media on Monday.

“Following the laid down protocols, relevant authorities were immediately alerted, and all security procedures strictly adhered to, as per guidance from the regulatory authorities,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, against the backdrop of a spate of hoax bomb threats to airlines, the IT Ministry has asked social media platforms to observe due diligence obligations and promptly remove or disable access to misinformation within the strict timelines prescribed under IT rules.

Also, the civil aviation ministry is looking to take legislative actions to tackle the menace of the hoax bomb threats to Indian airlines.

On Sunday, Union civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu said the Centre is mulling steps to ban perpetrators, who resort to hoax bomb threats to Indian airlines, from flying.