A Vistara Airlines flight traveling from Mumbai to Frankfurt made an unexpected landing at Erzurum Airport in eastern Turkey.
Allegedly, due to a valid bomb threat. The flight had more than 200 passengers on board. Later, it was diverted after the discovery of a note reading “bomb in the plane” in one of the bathrooms of the plane.
Following the incident, all the passengers were safely removed, searched by Turkish security agencies. Evidently, they confirmed the bomb pull was a hoax.
Company Action and Passenger Care
In response to the incident, Vistara sent a replacement aircraft to Erzurum to bring the remaining passengers to Frankfurt.
The replacement flight arrived at Erzurum Airport shortly after 12:25 PM local time. Later on, it departed for Frankfurt around 2;30 PM. Vistara also reported that they prioritized passenger care.
Subsequently, they worked with safety agencies by stating, “We can confirm that the safety agencies have concluded their investigation and found the threat to be a hoax. All passengers and crew members are safe, and the aircraft has been cleared for further operations.”
Recent increase in Bomb Threats
The ongoing trend of bomb threats against Indian airlines continues with this incident. Shockingly, the number of threats against Indian airlines have escalated over the past few months.
Consequently, affecting both international and domestic flights. For example, a Vistara flight from Paris to Mumbai received a bomb threat in June. Subsequently, which resulted in full emergency status at the Mumbai Airport.
On September 1, an IndiGo flight from Jabalpur to Hyderabad was diverted to Nagpur due to a bomb threat. According to data from aviation risk analysis, over 500 bomb threats were made to flights in India throughout October alone.
As a matter of affecting hundreds of flights. While these threats are primarily hoaxes, they have led to significant disruptions and raised many questions about aviation security.
Government and Industry Response
To counter the increase in hoax bomb threats, the Government of India has asked major tech companies.
Such as Meta and X (formerly Twitter), for assistance in identifying those who shared the threats. Indian authorities stress the importance of a partnership between the government.
Additionally, tech companies ensure public safety and provide the safety and security of aviation operations.
Effects on Travelers and Airlines
Repeated bomb threats have resulted in additional security measures, delayed flights, and inconvenience for passengers.
Moreover, airlines are also burdened with extra costs associated with emergency landings, security screenings, and replacing with other aircraft.
On one hand, passengers who appreciate the safety processes were frustrated with the diversion of service from their planned trip.The recent Vistara flight saw an emergency landing in Turkey which exemplifies the growing issues hoax bomb threats pose to Indian aviation.
Airlines and security agencies are responding quickly to ensure passenger safety. However, the number of false threats does have an operational impact and influence trust in the public.
