2 IndiGo Flights Receive Bomb Threat, Number Of Hoax Calls In 24 Hours Climbs To 6

Three Indian flights faced bomb threats: Air India Express (Jaipur), Vistara (London), and Akasa Air (Mumbai). After thorough checks, no suspicious items were found.

Two flights of IndiGo Airlines received bomb threats bound to Istanbul in Turkey from Delhi and Mumbai while a Jaipur-bound Air India Express flight from Dubai with 189 passengers on board received a bomb threat via email in the last 24 hours. 

In a press statement the IndiGo Airlines said the threat was received for  flight 6E 17 operating from Mumbai to Istanbul and flight 6E 11 operating from Delhi to Istanbul.

"The safety and security of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and we are working closely with the relevant authorities and taking all necessary precautions as per the guidelines," the airline said. 

The Air India Express flight landed at the Jaipur International Airport at 1:20 am after which a thorough check was done by the security forces and nothing suspicious was found, said a police official, reported ANI. 

Another IndiGo flight 6E 184, operating from Jodhpur to Delhi also received a similar threat.  

In the last 24 hours, two more flights received such threat taking the number of hoax calls to 6.

A London-bound Vistara flight from Delhi (UK17) was diverted to Frankfurt, Germany while an Akasa Air flight (QP 1366) from Bengaluru to Mumbai also got a bomb threat shortly before departure, as per media reports. 

"Vistara flight UK17 operating from Delhi to London on October 18, 2024, received a security threat on social media. In line with the protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed and as a precautionary measure, the pilots decided to divert the flight to Frankfurt," the spokesperson said, as per an NDTV report.

Akasa Air also issued a statement saying: "As per safety and security procedures, all passengers had to be deplaned as the local authorities followed necessary procedures. We request your understanding as our team on the ground did everything possible to reduce the inconvenience."

At least 35 flights have received such threats since Monday prompting the civil aviation ministry and authorities to implement strict norms to deal with such situations. 

On Wednesday, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the government was closely monitoring the situation due to bomb threats to flight and asserted that all necessary measures are taken against such activities.

He condemned the recent bomb threats to Indian carriers and said the Mumbai police have arrested a minor responsible for issuing bomb threats to three flights.