The Indian airlines experienced received multiple hoax calls in the past few days, compelling to either ground or divert the flights to another location. The frequent diversions and disruption laid to disbalance of timetable with delays, incurring massive operational costs. Till now, these have been pranks but the airlines have suffered huge loss for an industry already battling sky-high expenses during its busiest travel season.
A Bomb Threat Assessment Committee has been formed after talks were held by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), along with other agencies like the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), to take initiatives to resolve the issue.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has held meetings with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and ministry officials. The law enforcement agencies have been asked to trace the sources of the calls. The Ministry said that once the culprits are apprehended, they would be put in the no-fly list to prevent future incidents.
In the past three days, Indian airlines have experienced more than 10 bomb hoaxes, forcing flight diversions, delays, and cancellations. While these threats often turn out to be false alarms, they are causing real financial losses for airlines, which are already struggling with rising expenses in one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
