In just one week, more than 150 flights received false bomb threats. Aaj Tak identified 95 of these flights and tracked their routes to uncover any hidden patterns. It was revealed that of the total, 41 flights took off from a city in India or were scheduled to land there. The remaining flights are operated between Indian cities.
At least a dozen of those flights sent emergency alerts to air traffic control (ATC) in flight. These include flights by Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, SpiceJet and Vistara to destinations such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Jaipur, London and Hong Kong, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.
Of the 12 flights, one was canceled and the other two had to be diverted. Delhi-Bengaluru Sky Airline AKJ133E had to turn back from Narsingpur, Madhya Pradesh, while Vistara flight VTI017 from Delhi to London was diverted to Frankfurt, Germany.
The emergency alert was identified as squak 7700 and was relayed by the pilot to indicate that the aircraft was in an emergency situation. The code is part of a system of squawk codes, which are four-digit numbers that pilots enter into the aircraft’s transponder to communicate with ATC.
Flights from Delhi and Mumbai are the worst affected. Our analysis shows that 15 flights from the capital and 14 flights from Mumbai received bomb threats between October 15 and 22. Four flights each from Goa and Hyderabad, and three flights each from Ayodhya, Cochin and Singapore have been affected.
The analysis is based on data obtained and confirmed from public sources including airline statements and media reports. Among airlines, IndiGo and Akasa Air are the worst affected. At least 26 IndiGo flights and 20 Akasa flights received false information (mainly through social media and emails) that explosives were on board.
According to the analysis, Vistara is the third most affected airline with 19 flights, followed by Air India Express (11), Air India and SpiceJet (6 each).
According to media reports, passengers on many of these flights were disembarked and underwent thorough security checks. At least one flight to Singapore was diverted from a densely populated area by Singaporean fighter jets before being allowed to land.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said false bomb threat calls to airlines will be treated as a cognizable offence. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Safety (BCAS) held a meeting with airline CEOs and representatives in New Delhi on October 19. The government is reportedly planning to put those who make fake calls on a no-fly list.