More than 90 flights in India have diverted due to threats spread on social networks
More than 90 planes had to Cancel takeoff, change your route or make an emergency landing On the threat of fake bombs at Indian airports. The messages were mostly disseminated through social networks such as X.
fake bomb The chaos has spread this week, causing fear among passengers and rescheduling of flights originating from India, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Indonesia, Turkey or Singapore.
All flights landed without incident, but a wave of threats led to planes being diverted to Canada and Germany, and fighter planes were deployed to protect planes in the United Kingdom and Singapore.
The Government of India and civil aviation authorities have given this warning “Very strict measures” will be taken For spreading false bomb threats. Civil aviation authorities in New Delhi have not said how many threats have been received in the past week, but The Times of India and News18 have reported more than 70 threats targeting domestic and international flights since October 13.
There were at least 30 fraudulent incidents on Saturday alone and at least 20 more threats were received by various airlines on Sunday. Indian airline IndiGo confirmed that six of its flights had received threats on Sunday. Two belonged to national routes and four to international routes.Which connected the Indian cities of Jeddah and Dammam (Saudi Arabia), as well as two separate flights to Istanbul (Turkey).
“The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority”IndiGo said in a statement. “We are working closely with the relevant authorities and taking all necessary precautions.”
A minor was detained
The global impact of delays and diversions has impacted airline schedules and costs. At least one person – a minor – has been detained in India, but threats continue. “All others responsible for the irregularities will be identified and prosecuted appropriately.” Indian Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu made the announcement on Wednesday after the arrest.
According to a report in ‘The Indian Express’, an anonymous account on X (formerly Twitter) was suspended Bomb threats were made on at least 40 flights on Friday and Saturday. These included Indian and international airlines, including those from the United States and New Zealand.
“Bombs have been placed on board, no one will come out alive.” “Hurry up and evacuate the plane,” Read similar messages from the suspended account, the newspaper reported. The latest flights to be affected included an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York, which was searched by US security officials after it landed safely on Saturday.
The other affected flight was an Air India flight from New Delhi to Chicago, which was forced to take off Emergency landing in Iqaluit, CanadaIn the far north of the country, on Tuesday. The Canadian Air Force had to evacuate the passengers. On the same day, Singapore sent fighter jets to protect the Air India Express aircraft. On Thursday, British RAF fighter planes escorted an Air India Boeing 777-300, which landed safely in London, after threats were made against the plane.