32 Indian flights receive bomb threats in a single day, only one diverted

As many as 32 flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats on Saturday, prompting emergency checks across various airports. Out of them, only one was diverted for an emergency landing and inspection, officials said. All the other flights were checked after landing at their destinations, though they experienced delays.
A Vistara flight, UK 17, from Delhi to London was diverted to Frankfurt in Germany, where a security check was conducted before it proceeded to London after two hours. Most bomb hoaxes were received after the flights had landed at their destinations, officials added.
The aviation industry faced a nightmare as several Indian carriers, including Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, Vistara, SpiceJet, Star Air, and Alliance Air, received numerous bomb threats. Some messages were found written in the lavatories, while others were sent via social media and email. However, all were ultimately found to be hoaxes.
In response to the situation, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) held a meeting with CEOs and representatives of airlines in New Delhi on Saturday. The Director General of BCAS, Zulfiquar Hasan, assured during the meeting that all mandated protocols were being followed and that Indian skies are secure.
“Indian skies are absolutely safe. The current protocol (to deal with the situation) is robust and is being strictly followed. We reassure passengers that they should fly without any fear and in fact, fly even more,” Zulfiquar Hasan stated.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Ministry plans to implement strict measures to prevent incidents of hoax bomb threats to airlines, including placing the perpetrators on the no-fly list.
The police have also arrested a 17-year-old boy from Chhattisgarh. The investigation revealed that he issued at least 19 of the threats in an attempt to take revenge on his 25-year-old business partner over a financial dispute. The police are investigating the sources of the other threats and are coordinating with social media companies and Virtual Private Network (VPN) providers.