How Hoax Bomb Threats are Disrupting Air Travel in India

Indian aviation sector is dealing with an increased number of fake bomb threats lately. These false alarms lead to flights delays, diversions, and cancellations to passengers and airlines. The surge is disrupting the operations, which is a problem for one of the world’s fastest-growing airline markets.

Surge in Bomb Threats

Over the past few months, the India’s airlines have suffered from a new record breaking wave of hoax bomb threats. These threats are usually post on social media and the people behind the threat remain unknown. One of the most outstanding cases was that of an Air India flight from Mumbai to Chicago which had to land in Canada because of a fake bomb alert. This is just one example of how these malicious actions affect such a large number of people.

The increase in threats comes at a worrying time given the rising demand for aviation in India. The phenomenon is massive because more than 150 million people fly domestically every year. For instance, last week, India received 90 hoax threats in a single day; these resulted into disruptions in different airports, including cancellation of flights.

Impact on Airlines and Passengers

The implications of bomb threats exceed inconvenience as it is clear from the following. Bridging these extreme and radical deviations and delays costs airlines a lot of money. Passengers are compelled to disembark at the nearest airport which in recent times was a Vistara flight that had to land in Turkey due to a hoax threatening call. Every diversion requires security checks, people off loading, and the fact that a new crew would be required all of which take more time to existing long delays.

The passengers must also feel more anxious at some point during their travel. Some are left high and dry in unknown places with very little information like the Air India passengers in Iqaluit, Canada. Such events not only affect travel schedules but also lead to a loss of confidence in the safety of air travel which has lasting impacts on the economy.