A bomb threat caused IndiGo flight 6E 7308, traveling from Jabalpur to Hyderabad, to be diverted to Nagpur on Sunday. Upon its arrival in Nagpur, all passengers were safely evacuated, and immediate security checks were conducted, as stated by IndiGo.
The airline expressed regret over the incident, stating, “Passengers were offered assistance and refreshments, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.”
Incidents involving hoax bomb threats have been on the rise recently, affecting airports and hospitals. On June 18, bomb threats were emailed to 41 airports, including those in Jaipur, Chennai, and Varanasi. These threats prompted thorough anti-sabotage inspections, which lasted several hours, but were ultimately determined to be false alarms.
False bomb threats cause significant disruptions to flight schedules, necessitating comprehensive checks of all passengers, luggage, and the aircraft. If found guilty of making such threats, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has suggested imposing a five-year flying ban.
On August 22, Thiruvananthapuram airport declared a full emergency following a bomb threat on an Air India flight arriving from Mumbai. The plane landed safely at the airport around 8 a.m. and was moved to an isolation bay, where passengers were evacuated by 8:44 a.m. The pilot had reported the threat around 7:30 a.m. as the flight neared Thiruvananthapuram. There were 135 passengers on board.
Earlier on June 17, a 13-year-old boy was detained for allegedly sending a false email to Delhi Airport, claiming that a bomb had been planted on a Dubai-bound flight. The email led to an emergency declaration, and Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport was placed on high alert.
In addition, fake emails threatening bombs were sent to almost 60 hospitals in Mumbai. These emails, sent to both private and public hospitals’ public email addresses using Virtual Private Networks (VPN), prompted immediate police investigations.
