Countering hoax airline bomb threats: Aviation authorities can now place offenders on no-fly list

Airline hoaxers to face a hard landing! The government has modified the legislation concerning passenger aircraft safety, enabling authorities to place individuals making false bomb threats on no-fly lists or remove them from aircraft. Such persons will face prosecution under provisions dealing with severe aviation security violations, including aircraft hijacking attempts, explosive placement or hostage-taking.

This modification to the Aircraft Security Rules comes after numerous false bomb threats targeting Indian airlines in November, resulting in significant delays and flight redirections. In two instances, military aircraft were deployed to accompany Indian commercial flights during landing following bomb warnings.

According to an ET report, official data reveals 1,143 false bomb threats were reported to domestic airlines between August 2022 and November 13, 2024, with a significant surge in 2024, accounting for 994 incidents, as reported to Parliament by the civil aviation ministry.

The amendment was required as the Safety of Civil Aviation Act (SUASCA) previously addressed only mid-flight offences.

Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said, "We want to take strict action against people who are behind this when there is a fake or hoax threat that they are trying to do; we have to cover the act on the ground and the airport also." The government also revised its threat response protocols after identifying patterns of anonymous social media accounts posting threats that were subsequently deleted.

Previously, protocols required treating any message or call mentioning a flight number as a specific threat.

According to Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) guidelines, threatened aircraft had to land at the nearest airport for inspection. The revised approach allows flights to continue to their destinations if similar messages from a previously identified hoax source are received, reducing unnecessary diversions and associated costs.

For credible threats, air traffic control alerts the airport to mobilise emergency resources including fire services, bomb disposal units, sniffer dogs, and evacuation systems when necessary.

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