No end to flight chaos as 80 more get bomb threats

At least 80 domestic and international flights operated by Indian carriers received bomb threats on Thursday, as authorities sought cooperation from social media platforms to stem the tide of hoax messages that have disrupted air travel across the country.
The latest wave of threats targeted approximately 20 flights each from Air India, Vistara, and IndiGo, while Akasa Air received threats for 13 flights. Alliance Air and SpiceJet each saw about five flights affected, according to reports.
According to PTI, the government has asked social media platforms Meta and X (formerly Twitter) to share data about the hoax threats, which have now affected more than 250 flights in 11 days.
Also Read: As bomb threats on flights rise, Centre issues warning to X
IndiGo confirmed receiving security alerts for 20 specific flights, including international services 6E 11 (Delhi to Istanbul), 6E 17 (Mumbai to Istanbul), and 6E 58 (Jeddah to Mumbai), alongside domestic routes connecting major cities such as Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Goa.
“After thorough inspections, all the aircraft concerned were released for operations,” an Akasa Air spokesperson said, adding that airport services teams coordinated with local authorities to ensure “efficient handling of the situation including safe deplaning of passengers, assistance and refreshments as required.”
The threats triggered emergency responses across multiple airports. At Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, director Prasanna Pradhan confirmed receiving a threat on X about bombs on an Akasa Air flight. “Following standard operating procedure (SOP), we have cleared the flight and it departed for its destination,” Pradhan said, according to PTI.
In Kolkata, airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria reported that several flights were taken to isolation bays for thorough inspection. The threats affected operations at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, contributing to delays in flight suspensions related to Cyclone Dana.
At Gorakhpur Airport, a bomb threat on Akasa Air flight QPP 1880 from Bengaluru caused significant delays, with airport director R K Parasher reporting that an IndiGo flight to Hyderabad was delayed by 30 minutes and the subsequent Akasa flight to Delhi was delayed by four hours.
Also Read: Bomb hoax delays Akasa Air flight at Gorakhpur airport
The development follows a virtual meeting on Wednesday between the IT ministry and representatives from airlines and social media platforms. Joint secretary Sanket S Bhondve, who chaired the meeting, questioned X’s representatives about their measures to prevent such false threats.
“The IT ministry told the social media companies to promptly give the government and law enforcement agencies information related to the bomb threats. This includes, but is not limited to the details of the person posting the hoax message,” said a person who attended the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Representatives of X and Meta did not respond to requests for a comment on Thursday’s messages.
Earlier in the day, an X spokesperson responded to queries sent by HT on Wednesday to state: “We prohibit violent threats on X and take any such reports seriously. That includes and is not limited to threats to harm civilian infrastructure essential to daily, civic or business activities. Our teams, systems and reporting channels are at work around the clock to keep X safer for all our users in India”.
To be sure, it is not clear how X, which has always been reluctant to share information on users, plans to do this.
The threats have primarily come through X, with perpetrators apparently using VPNs to maintain anonymity. Two accounts identified by Hindustan Times, @schizobomber777 and @adamlanza111, were reportedly created recently, specifically to post these threats. The second account continued posting threats even after the issue had become a serious concern.
Legal experts note that Section 66F of the IT Act, addressing cyber terrorism, combined with Sections 351 and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), provides adequate framework to deal with such hoaxes. The legislation covers threats made over digital channels intended to manipulate or interfere with critical infrastructure.
Airlines have requested the government to establish mechanisms for social media platforms to prevent such threats from being uploaded publicly, HT reported on Thursday. “The airlines want social media companies to proactively detect them before they are uploaded and report them to the relevant authorities,” a person aware of the matter had said, asking not to be named.
The spate of threats has forced numerous flight diversions and delays, with some incidents escalating to international involvement. Earlier this month, both the Royal Air Force and Singapore Armed Forces had to scramble fighter jets to escort threatened Indian aircraft.
Aviation experts warn that while security agencies cannot ignore such threats, repeated false alarms risk compromising vigilance. Security experts emphasise that the issue extends beyond aviation, suggesting that similar threats could target banks or schools, highlighting the need for stronger platform-level prevention measures.
The government has indicated plans for legislative action to address the crisis, including placing perpetrators on no-fly lists. Meanwhile, security has been enhanced at airports nationwide, with officials reporting a 10 percent increase in security measures over the past week.