NEW DELHI: Domestic airlines have faced nearly 1,000 hoax bomb threats this year up to November 13, according to the government. Minister of state for civil aviation, Muralidhar Mohol informed the Rajya Sabha on November 25 that a total of 1,143 hoax bomb threats were recorded between August 2022 and November 13, 2024.
This year alone, between January and November 13, there 994 threats were received.
“The recent threats were hoax and no actual threat was detected at any of the airports/aircraft in India. As per assessment of BTAC, operations of some of the flights were affected,” the minister said.
To address this menace of unabated hoax calls, the civil aviation ,ministry plans to amend the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, and the Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023. The bureau of civil aviation security (BCAS) has established stringent measures to tackle such threats and Bomb Threat Contingency Plan (BTCP) is in place to handle such threats.
“As a part of BTCP, every airport has a designated Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) which analyses the threat and act accordingly. As per assessment of BTAC, hoax bomb calls result in adversely affecting operations of some of the flights resulting in impact on airlines, airports and other stakeholders.
“BCAS has issued advisories to all the Civil Aviation Installations in the country to streamline security measures and to prevent any unlawful interference with civil aviation,” Mohol said in another written reply.
According to Section 3(1)(d) of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, anyone who knowingly provides false information that endangers the safety of an aircraft in flight faces life imprisonment and may also be subject to a fine.
“Amendment in the above Act and in Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023 is under consultation to make it more comprehensive as per evolving threats,” Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu said in a separate written reply. He further clarified that the government is not considering any amendments to the Aircraft Act, 1934.
