NEW DELHI: As hoax threat messages to Indian airlines continue to rise, the civil aviation minister on Thursday assured the public that necessary actions were being taken and ruled out any larger conspiracy behind these events, describing them as “petty” pranks by minors and pranksters.
The minister’s remarks come in the wake of approximately 40 flights receiving hoax calls since the start of this week.Today alone, Air India received threats to five of its domestic and international flights, while IndiGo and Vistara recorded threats to two flights each. AI Express is also reported to have received similar messages for six of its flights today.
“Action is being taken on this. We can’t comment on any kind of a conspiracy but from whatever little bit we know these calls are coming from some minors and pranksters. These are all minor and isolated incidents. There is no kind of conspiracy that we can comment on. From our side, we are going to see what best we can do. We are talking to the airlines, security agencies, within the ministry also. Consultations are going on,” Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said.
Earlier on Monday, a “deeply concerned” Union aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu chaired a high-level meeting on the issue ,attended by senior officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and the home ministry.
“I am monitoring the situation regularly, and our law enforcement agencies are actively pursuing all cases. Mumbai Police has arrested a minor responsible for issuing bomb threats targeting three flights. All others responsible for the disruptions will be identified and duly prosecuted. I assure all stakeholders, including passengers and industry partners, that every effort is being made to safeguard operations. We are committed to enhancing security measures and maintaining seamless coordination with global security agencies,” Naidu had said on X.
It is also believed that the Union aviation ministry is working on a deterrent by by working on new rules to deal with hoax callers and punish them severely, including putting them on no fly list.
Since Sunday, numerous hoax messages have caused multiple flight diversions, including incidents at international airports involving AI and IndiGo. Airlines are now calling on the government to address this issue swiftly, as it is placing a significant financial strain on them.