At least 13 hoax bomb threats have been received by Indian airlines in the past 48 hours alone. Some flights had to be diverted, like one of Air India from New Delhi to Chicago that was forced to land in a small Canadian town. Others had to re-screen passengers.
In one reported case, the Singapore Armed Forces had to scramble fighter jets after a threat to an Air India Express flight from Madurai to Singapore. All this has caused commercial losses, not to mention the stress passengers have had to suffer. The home ministry has sought a report from aviation authorities.
Thankfully, all threats were false, although the disruption was immense. Such hoaxes aren’t a new phenomenon and so, we shouldn’t be caught off-guard. Sure, no threat can be dismissed without checking. But airport security everywhere should be confident enough not to let flight schedules go awry.
Can wilful disruptors be deterred? A five-year flying ban has been suggested for them and efforts are reportedly being made to catch the culprits and impose exemplary penalties. It’s not always easy, though, to unmask rogues on the internet. Making security systems foolproof is our surest bet.