Airlines suffer over ₹600 crore loss, receive 80 bomb threats in 24 hours

Airline companies in India have suffered losses of over ₹600 crore after receiving more than 80 bomb threats, primarily on international flights, in the past 24 hours.

Sources in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated that since Monday night through Tuesday, more than 80 flights, mostly international and domestic, operated by Indian airlines, received bomb threats, leading to disruptions, and several flights had to change their routes. 

Airlines like Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Vistara were targeted on Tuesday, with some flights being diverted to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

In the past nine days, over 170 flights have received bomb threats, with most of the threats being made via social media platforms.

On Tuesday, more than 50 flights, including 13 each from Air India and IndiGo, received bomb threats, while Akasa Air reported threats to more than 12 flights, and Vistara received threats for 11 flights. On Monday night, about 30 flights from IndiGo, Air India, and Vistara faced bomb threats.

IndiGo received bomb threats on flights from Lucknow to Pune, Hyderabad to Jeddah, Istanbul to Mumbai, Delhi to Dammam, Bengaluru to Jeddah, Istanbul to Delhi, Kozhikode to Jeddah, and Delhi to Jeddah. 

In response to the threats, airport authorities followed established safety protocols to ensure passenger security. IndiGo’s Mumbai-Srinagar flight was put on high alert upon its arrival at Srinagar International Airport due to a bomb threat.

Disruptions to domestic flights result in an estimated loss of ₹1.5 crore, while the cost for international flights ranges from ₹5 crore to ₹5.5 crore. On average, disruptions to both domestic and international flights incur losses of approximately ₹3.5 crore. As a result, with over 170 flights affected, the airline industry has faced losses of more than ₹600 crore.

The bomb threats are concerning for travellers who have already planned their holidays and flight tickets ahead of the Diwali vacation.

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