Over 70 fresh security threats against Indian flights have been received by major Indian airlines on Thursday 24 October, according to a PTI report.
Major Indian carriers including Air India, IndiGo, Vistara and Akasa Air have once again been targeted according to reports.
The recent spate of bomb threats which have caused havoc for Indian airlines on both domestic and international flights has now moved into its second week.
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Threats Continue into Second Week
On Tuesday alone, around 50 threats were received by various Indian carriers. Today’s wave of 70 threats has seen a further ramp up in intensity. Officials previously identified multiple threats which have been originating from anonymous accounts on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Last week, several delinquent accounts were suspended by X, and a 17-year-old youth was remanded in custody by Mumbai police. He stands accused of issuing three threats via an account on X. Since threats arrest, the threats have continued largely unabated and have increased significantly.
Today’s wave of security incidents has appeared to have followed a similar pattern. At least some threats are confirmed as being issued via social media accounts.
An Air India spokesman gave comment on today’s incidents. “Some Air India flights was subject to security threats received on social media on 24 October 2024.”
Following the receipt of threats, Air India confirmed that it followed laydown protocols – alerting relevant authorities and following security procedures.
A spokesperson for Akasa Air similarly confirmed that some of its flights had been subject to security alerts. The airline did not clarify where the threats had originated from, but confirmed that they are monitoring the situation in collaboration with security and regulatory authorities.
Government Response and Proposed Legislation Changes
According to the Business Standard, officials of the Indian government have criticised social media platforms in the wake of the recent will spate of threats against Indian flights.
Joint Secretary Sanket S Bhondve spoke in a virtual meeting to delegates from both airlines and social media companies including X and Meta. Bhondve asked X representatives to explain what steps the platform was taking to curb the spread of dangerous rumours. He warned that the social media platform could be seen as “abetting a crime”.
Present legislation pertinent to security threats against aircraft for under India’s “Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation Act”.
As it stands, the current Act has a focus on security threats arising during flight. In light of the recent wave of bomb threats, the Indian government is now considering amendments to the Act.
These amendments would allow for legal action to be taken against perpetrators while the aircraft is still on the ground.
Summary
The motivations behind the concentrated spate of security threats against Indian flights is yet to be established. Speculation has ranged from suggestions of pranksters to the more serious notion of a coordinated strike.
According to a report in the local news source Hindustan Times, investigators are still trying to establish a pattern and motive.
An aviation security official spoke to the paper saying: “A threat is given using social media or through a phone call. Then suddenly similar threats start to appear within a short span of time.”
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