Indian Airlines Count 999 Hoax Bomb Threats So Far

UPDATE Nov 29, 2024 6:30 AM CST

It's been a record-setting year for hoax bomb threats at India's airports and airlines. More than 500 came in the last two weeks of October, pushing the year's total to 999 as of Nov. 14. That's almost 10 times more threats than the 122 received in all of last year, India's deputy civil aviation minister, Murlidhar Mohol, told parliament this week, per the BBC and Indian Express. Luckily, there was "no actual threat detected at any of the airports/aircraft in India," Mohol said. But the hoax threats caused chaos regardless, delaying and diverting numerous flights. A dozen people have been arrested, Mohol said.

Oct 16, 2024 1:50 PM CDT

Nearly a dozen flights out of India received bomb threats within a 48-hour span this week, causing chaos and forcing the emergency landing of one plane. An Air India flight from Delhi to Chicago made an abrupt landing in Iqaluit, a city of 7,000 on Baffin Island in Canada's far north, before sunrise on Tuesday, the Guardian reports. This came less than a day after Canada and India expelled senior diplomats as part of an escalating row stemming from Canada's claims that Indian government agents killed a prominent Sikh leader on Canadian soil.

"Since Iqaluit was not equipped to house that many unexpected guests, Ottawa gave the green light to utilize military resources to help the waylaid travelers," reports the Canadian Press. Air India said Wednesday that a Canadian Air Force plane would take the travelers to Chicago, reports the BBC. Hours after the emergency landing in Nunavut, Singapore sent two fighter jets to escort an Air India Express plane that was the subject of a bomb threat. It landed safely at Singapore Changi Airport. A day earlier, an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York was diverted to Delhi in response to a threat.

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SpiceJet and Akasa Air also received threats, while low-cost carrier IndiGo reported threats against two flights bound for Saudi Arabia and Oman, per the BBC. Officials describe the threats as hoaxes. At least some emerged from an X account on Monday, the BBC reports, adding a teenager was detained in connection with the threats. A different X account, now suspended, issued additional threats on Tuesday, per the outlet. Air India said Tuesday that it was cooperating with authorities and considering legal action to recover damages. (More bomb threat stories.)