36 Indian flights, including seven carrying Mumbai passengers, receive threat

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A wave of bomb threats to airlines from India continued on Sunday, October 20. A total of 36 flights, including seven carrying Mumbai passengers, received the threats on Sunday, officials said.

The 36 flights get bomb threats from an unverified X handle. The X handle which has now been suspended, had tagged Indigo Airlines and stated, "Two of our men on board who with two bombs will take all to their grave. The threat was issued to Indigo 6E87 Kozhikode to Dammam (Saudi Arabia) flight, officials stated.

Seven of the 36 flights are carrying Mumbai passengers. They include the Vistara UK107 Mumbai-Singapore, Indigo 6E17 Mumbai-Istanbul, Indigo 6E58 Jeddah-Mumbai, Akasa QP1102 Ahmedabad-Mumbai, Akasa QP1385 Mumbai-Bagdogra, Akasa QP1519 Kochi-Mumbai and Akasa QP1526 Lucknow-Mumbai flights.

Air India, Vistara, Akasa Air and Indigo have confirmed the bomb threats received to their airlines.

"We confirm that some Air India flights operating on 20 October 2024 were subject to security threats received on social media. Following the laid down protocols, relevant authorities were immediately alerted, and all security procedures strictly adhered to, as per guidance from the regulatory authorities and security agencies. The safety and security of our passengers, crew, and aircraft remain our top priority, an Air India official stated.

The number of threats issued to the exact number of Air India and Air India Express flights is not known yet. Officials said it is highly likely that two-three more flights operating to/from Mumbai have received bomb threats.

More details are awaited.

Bomb threat to Belagavi's Sambra Airport in Karnataka

"A hoax mail was received regarding a threat to Belagavi airport. A case has been registered in this regard in Marial Police Station," said a Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) source.

"The whole airport, both inside and out, has been checked. Nothing has been found. The email is a hoax. Investigation to ascertain the sender is underway." The source added.

On Saturday, October 19, officials said the flights operating to and from Mumbai had undergone rigorous checks before takeoff, ensuring passenger safety amidst heightened threats to airlines.

Among the flights cleared for departure was Vistara's UK106, connecting Singapore to Mumbai. Following comprehensive security checks, the flight was permitted to proceed. UK027 Mumbai - Frankfurt flight and UK131 Mumbai - Colombo flight also received bomb threat.

The officials said that Indigo's 6E057 flight from Jeddah to Mumbai was also cleared, allowing it to continue on its journey without incident.

Other flights, including Air India's AI119 to New York (JFK) and Indigo's 6E017 to Istanbul also received bomb threats.

"We are cognisant of a situation involving flight 6E17 operating from Mumbai to Istanbul. The safety and security of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and we are working closely with the relevant authorities and taking all necessary precautions as per the guidelines," an IndiGo statement said.

Alliance Air's 9I661 flight to Malwan and Akasa's QP1371 from Goa also received bomb threat.

SpiceJet's SG116 flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai was another flight that received threat.

Start Air, American Airlines and JetBlue also received threats on Saturday.

The officials said that Start Air reported threats to at least 4 flights, American Airlines-- 5 and JetBlue reported threats to 5 flights.

So far, over 70 flights in past 6 days have received bomb threats, the officials said.