India

20th In A Week: Vistara’s Frankfurt-Mumbai Flight Receives Bomb Threat

By
OB Bureau
October 17, 2024 1:12 pm

New Delhi: In yet another instance, Vistara’s Frankfurt-Mumbai flight received a bomb threat on social media. In this case, the pilot declared a general emergency. The flight landed safely at the Mumbai airport early Thursday.

This takes the count of bomb threats received by Indian carriers this week to 20 flights. While the security checks for the latest case were underway, the earlier 19 threats turned out to be fake.

The Vistara Frankfurt-Mumbai flight — UK 28 — was flying over Pakistan when it squawked 7700, the code for a general emergency at around 6 am (IST) on Thursday, according to flight tracking data. The aircraft continued to its destination Mumbai, where it landed at around 7:40 am, The Indian Express reported.

“Vistara flight UK 028…was subject to a security threat received on social media. As per protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed. The aircraft safely landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai and was taken to the isolation bay where all customers were disembarked. We are fully cooperating with the security agencies to complete the mandatory security checks,” a Vistara spokesperson said.

Notably, three international flights of Indian carriers received bomb threats on Monday, while another ten flights received threats on Tuesday. On Wednesday, there were at least six threats. All the threats came via social media platforms and eventually turned out to be fake. Apart from small regional airlines, all major scheduled Indian carriers have received these bomb threats.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu Wednesday said that the Mumbai Police has apprehended a minor responsible for issuing bomb threats to three flights, and added that others responsible for the disruptions will be identified and prosecuted.

The relevant government ministries — including the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) — and agencies have gone into a huddle because of these bomb threats. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is understood to be working closely with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to formalise an earlier proposal of putting the perpetrators of hoax bomb threats on the no-fly list.

Security agencies and police forces in different parts of the country are probing the threats and trying to trace and nab those behind them. Sources indicated that security has been tightened and emergency response personnel put on alert at various Indian airports.

OB Bureau

Share
By
OB Bureau
October 17, 2024 1:12 pm

Recent Posts

Tragic Accident In Baliyatra: +2 Student Dies after Accidentally Touching String Lights

Cuttack: A promising youthful life ended in Cuttack on Sunday as a sophomore was electrocuted…

November 18, 2024

‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ Release Date Announced; Check Here

Mumbai: Ever since ‘Kantara’ became a phenomenal hit in 2022, movie lovers have been yearning…

November 17, 2024

Sarpanch’s Husband & Samiti Member Attack Each Other, Admitted In Hospital In Odisha’s Nayagarh

Bhubaneswar: The husband of a sarpanch and a panchayat samiti member were critically injured as…

November 17, 2024

Air Quality In Delhi Turns ‘Severe+’; GRAP 4 Curbs To Be Implemented From Monday

New Delhi: Pollution in the national Capital is going from bad to worse. As Delhi’s air…

November 17, 2024

Odisha Govt To Come Up With New Policy On Road Construction

Bhubaneswar: In order to streamline the road construction works, the Odisha government is planning to…

November 17, 2024

Trailer Of ‘Pushpa 2 The Rule’ Gives Fans Goosebumps [Watch]

Patna: The trailer of ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’, one of the year’s most anticipated films, is…

November 17, 2024

Trailer Launch Of ‘Pushpa: The Rise’: Stampede-Like Situation At Patna’s Gandhi Maidan

Patna: It was one of the most anticipated events in the Indian film industry -- the…

November 17, 2024

Elephant Census Begins For 2nd Time In Keonjhar Division Of Odisha

Bhubaneswar: With Odisha government taking a serious note of unnatural death of elephants, the Forest…

November 17, 2024