Hoax Bomb Threats Cause Chaos in the Skies

At least 10 bomb threats against Indian airlines have been reported since Monday
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 16, 2024 1:50 PM CDT
Hoax Bomb Threats Cause Chaos in the Skies
An Air India aircraft, owned by the Tata Group, is seen parked against a double rainbow formed over Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024.   (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Nearly a dozen flights out of India received bomb threats within a 48-hour span this week, causing chaos and forcing the emergency landing of one plane. An Air India flight from Delhi to Chicago made an abrupt landing in Iqaluit, a city of 7,000 on Baffin Island in Canada's far north, before sunrise on Tuesday, the Guardian reports. This came less than a day after Canada and India expelled senior diplomats as part of an escalating row stemming from Canada's claims that Indian government agents killed a prominent Sikh leader on Canadian soil.

"Since Iqaluit was not equipped to house that many unexpected guests, Ottawa gave the green light to utilize military resources to help the waylaid travelers," reports the Canadian Press. Air India said Wednesday that a Canadian Air Force plane would take the travelers to Chicago, reports the BBC. Hours after the emergency landing in Nunavut, Singapore sent two fighter jets to escort an Air India Express plane that was the subject of a bomb threat. It landed safely at Singapore Changi Airport. A day earlier, an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York was diverted to Delhi in response to a threat.

SpiceJet and Akasa Air also received threats, while low-cost carrier IndiGo reported threats against two flights bound for Saudi Arabia and Oman, per the BBC. Officials describe the threats as hoaxes. At least some emerged from an X account on Monday, the BBC reports, adding a teenager was detained in connection with the threats. A different X account, now suspended, issued additional threats on Tuesday, per the outlet. Air India said Tuesday that it was cooperating with authorities and considering legal action to recover damages. (More bomb threat stories.)

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