Airlines reported 809 hoax bomb threats in last 5 yrs: Govt tells RS

Airlines in India have reported 809 hoax bomb threats in the last five years, with 719 in 2024 alone, as per data tabled in Parliament.

"Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has information of a total of 809 hoax bomb threats received by airlines since 2020," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

According to the data shared by the minister, four hoax bomb threat messages were reported by the airlines in 2020 and two in 2021.

In 2022, airlines in India reported 13 hoax bomb threat messages, which rose to 71 in 2023, as per the data.

 

In 2024, 719 hoax bomb threat messages have been reported by the airlines, according to the data.

Aviation security regulator Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has mandated robust protocols for handling such threats, the minister said.

Moreover, a detailed contingency plan -- 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 threats and acts accordingly, he added.

He also said that to deal with hoax bomb threats, BCAS has issued advisories to all the civil aviation stakeholders in the country to ensure streamlined security measures and prevent any unlawful interference with civil aviation.