On October 20, leading Indian airlines, including IndiGo and Vistara, received multiple bomb threats, prompting heightened security measures. A total of 24 flights were affected, six of which were operated by IndiGo and another six by Vistara. Additionally, Air India and Akasa Air were also targeted by these threats, as reported by First Post.
Details of the Affected Flights
The bomb threats directed at IndiGo included flights such as 6E 58 (Jeddah to Mumbai), 6E 87 (Kozhikode to Dammam), 6E 11 (Delhi to Istanbul), 6E 17 (Mumbai to Istanbul), 6E 133 (Pune to Jodhpur), and 6E 112 (Goa to Ahmedabad). On the other hand, the Vistara flights that received threats were UK 25 (Delhi to Frankfurt), UK 106 (Singapore to Mumbai), UK 146 (Bali to Delhi), UK 116 (Singapore to Delhi), UK 110 (Singapore to Pune), and UK 107 (Mumbai to Singapore).
Other airlines, such as Akasa Air, were also affected, with threats targeting six of their flights, including QP 1102 (Ahmedabad to Mumbai) and QP 1378 (Delhi to Goa), among others.
A Growing Threat
This incident is not an isolated one. Over the past week, more than 90 flights operated by Indian airlines have been subjected to bomb threats, causing disruptions to travel and concern among passengers. While most of these threats turned out to be hoaxes, authorities have maintained strict security protocols to avoid any potential risks.
According to First Post, the majority of these threats have been posted on social media platforms, particularly on X (formerly Twitter). These messages commonly used phrases like «bombs,» «blood will spread everywhere,» «explosive devices,» and «this is not a joke,» among others.
Authorities’ Response
Cybersecurity officials have taken swift action, suspending around 10 social media accounts linked to the publication of these bomb threats. An analysis of the messages revealed that 70% of the threats over the past week were posted from a single unverified account on X, under the username @adamlanza1111.
In an effort to curb these incidents, Mumbai police arrested a teenager earlier this week for issuing bomb threats on the same platform. According to police reports, the teenager’s motive was to get back at a friend after a disagreement, which led him to make the threatening posts.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into these incidents, reinforcing flight security, and closely monitoring social media to prevent further threats.
