At least 80 domestic and international flights operated by Indian carriers received bomb threats on Thursday, as authorities sought cooperation from social media platforms to stem the tide of hoax messages that have disrupted air travel across the country. The latest wave of threats targeted approximately 20 flights each from Air India, Vistara, and IndiGo, while Akasa Air received threats for 13 flights. Alliance Air and SpiceJet each saw about five flights affected, according to reports.
According to PTI, the government has asked social media platforms Meta and X formerly Twitter to share data about the hoax threats, which have now affected more than flights in 11 days.
Also Read: As bomb threats on flights rise, Centre issues warning to X. IndiGo confirmed receiving security alerts for 20 specific flights, including international services 6E 11 Delhi to Istanbul , 6E 17 Mumbai to Istanbul , and 6E 58 Jeddah to Mumbai , alongside domestic routes connecting major cities such as Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Goa.
The threats triggered emergency responses across multiple airports. In Kolkata, airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria reported that several flights were taken to isolation bays for thorough inspection. The threats affected operations at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, contributing to delays in flight suspensions related to Cyclone Dana.
The development follows a virtual meeting on Wednesday between the IT ministry and representatives from airlines and social media platforms. That includes and is not limited to threats to harm civilian infrastructure essential to daily, civic or business activities. To be sure, it is not clear how X, which has always been reluctant to share information on users, plans to do this. The threats have primarily come through X, with perpetrators apparently using VPNs to maintain anonymity.
