Bomb threats hit Indian airlines hard: Know how much one hoax can cost

The pattern of bomb threats to India airlines continued for a fifth day, forcing a London-bound Vistara flight from Delhi to be diverted to Frankfurt on Friday. A Vistara spokesperson said the flight landed safely at the Frankfurt airport and mandatory checks were being conducted.
“Vistara flight UK17 operating from Delhi to London on October 18, 2024 received a security threat on social media. In line with the protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed and as a precautionary measure, the pilots decided to divert the flight to Frankfurt,” the spokesperson said.
Nearly 40 flights operated by the Indian carriers have received bomb threats in the past few days, which later turned out to be hoaxes. The spate of hoax bomb threats against Indian airlines has led to major financial repercussions, with airline officials estimating losses running into crores of rupees.
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A Boeing 777, flying from Mumbai to New York’s JFK airport on October 14, was forced to divert to Delhi after a bomb threat was received shortly after takeoff. The aircraft, carrying 200 passengers and nearly 130 tonnes of jet fuel, had to dump over 100 tonnes of fuel to land safely—an expensive procedure costing the airline ₹1 crore ($120,000) in fuel wastage alone, reported The Times of India.
The financial impact goes beyond fuel dumping. The total cost of the hoax, including unscheduled landing charges, accommodation for passengers, grounding of the aircraft, and crew replacements, is expected to exceed ₹3 crore ($360,000), according to the report.
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One of the more severe cases occurred on October 15, when another Air India Boeing 777 en route from Delhi to Chicago was diverted to the remote Canadian town of Iqaluit due to a bomb threat. The aircraft, with over 200 passengers, remained grounded for three and a half days before finally reaching Chicago. The airline had to charter a Canadian Air Force plane to fly the stranded passengers to their destination, adding to the mounting costs.
Daily rental costs of Boeing 777s range from $17,000 to $20,000, adding another layer to the airline’s financial burden, according to the ToI report. The total cost of this incident is expected to exceed ₹15-20 crore ($1.8-2.4 million).
In the wake of the rising number of hoax bomb threats, Civil Aviation Minister, K Rammohan Naidu, has indicated that the ministry is working on amendments to civil aviation regulations to ensure strict action against perpetrators.
“We are taking things seriously. We will take action,” Naidu said, adding that the ministry is reviewing international regulations to address such threats effectively.
The ministry is also considering placing individuals responsible for bomb threats on a no-fly list and is exploring legislative amendments if necessary.
At present, the actions against hoax bomb threat incidents are taken by the police under criminal laws.