Threats to flights: Mumbai airport conducts bomb drill

SpiceJet SG116 which was travelling from Darbhanga to Mumbai received a bomb threat via social media on Wednesday. Pic/Rane Ashish

In response to a series of bomb threats over the past four days, Mumbai Airport conducted extensive bomb drills early Thursday at Terminal 1 (T1) and later at Terminal 2 (T2) around 11 am. The drills involved all key stakeholders and security agencies.

The decision to conduct the drills comes after an alarming rise in bomb threats to airlines. Reports indicate that the threats have escalated significantly, with three incidents reported on October 14, seven on October 15, ten on October 16, and tweleve on October 17, totaling 28 threats to aircraft operated by Indian airlines in just four days.

Coinciding with the drills, the airport was scheduled for its annual post-monsoon runway maintenance from 11 am to 5 pm on Thursday. As a result, no runways were operational during this time. DGCA officials confirmed that all operations proceeded smoothly, and no delays or cancellations were reported.

A passenger who had disembarked from a flight before the drill started, told mid-day, "Till the end of the drill, no one was aware that it was a drill. We all thought this was a genuine bomb threat. All security personnel were seen working just like it was a real threat. There were no disruptions though due to the runway maintenance."

"I can't lie - I was pretty anxious reading about all the threats leading up to my flight. It felt surreal to see security teams conducting drills right in front of me. At first, I was worried it would cause delays, but I'm grateful they're being proactive. I just want to get to my meeting without a hitch. It's comforting to know they're on top of things," a passenger who arrived from Newark told mid-day on condition of anonymity.

"Seeing the airport in such a heightened state of alert was definitely unsettling. I've travelled through here countless times, and it's usually so calm. The security drills were well-organised, but the anxiety in the air was palpable. I appreciate that they're being vigilant, but I can't shake this feeling of unease as I wait for my flight," said Fatima Khan, a Mumbai resident, who had just flown in from Abu Dhabi.

"Looking at the news over the past few days, I was a bit terrified that I had to fly on Thursday. Terrified because what if my flight receives a bomb threat? After landing here and clearing customs, we were informed that the bomb threat had dissipated and all of us were escorted outside the terminal. Those passengers who were yet to clear Customs and other formalities were asked to stay at the airside itself.

After enquiring with security personnel at the site, I came to know that this was a drill and not an actual threat. I was so relieved to hear that. After the scare, I was also happy to understand that the agencies were taking necessary means to keep themselves prepared for an actual threat," said another passenger who arrived from New York.

No. of bomb threats reported in the past 4 days

October 14: 3 threats
l Air India AI119
Mumbai to New York
l IndiGo 6E57
Mumbai to Jeddah
l IndiGo 6E1275
Mumbai to Muscat

October 15: 7 threats
l Air India AI172
Delhi to Chicago
l SpiceJet SG116
Darbhanga to Mumbai
l Air India Express IX684 Madurai to Singapore
l Akasa QP1373
Bagdogra to Bangalore
l Air India Express IX765 Jaipur to Ayodhya
l IndiGo 6E98
Dammam to Lucknow
l Vistara UK 161
Delhi to Hong Kong

October 16: 10 threats
l Air India Express IX437 Kochi to Dubai
l Alliance Air 9I770 Kolkata to Guwahati
l IndiGo 6E651
Mumbai to Delhi
l Air India AI302
Delhi to San Francisco
l IndiGo 6E74
Riyadh to Mumbai
l IndiGo 6E1011
Mumbai to Singapore
l IndiGo 6E515
Chennai to Lucknow
l SpiceJet SG116 Darbhanga to Mumbai (second threat in three days).
l SpiceJet SG124
Leh to Delhi
l Vistara UK28
Frankfurt to Mumbai

October 17: 12 threats

l Air India AI129 Mum-Lon
l Air India AI119 Mum-NY
l Vistara UK22 Paris -Delhi
l Air India 101 Delhi-NY
l AI 186 Vancouver-Delhi
l Air India 126 Chicago-Delhi
l Indigo 6E 118 Lucknow-Pune
l Indigo 6E 18
Istanbul to Mumbai
l IX 419 Kochi-Abu Dhabi
l IX 412 Sharjah-Kochi
l IX 475 Kochi-Doha
l IX 345 Kozhikode-Doha