The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on Saturday held a meeting with the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of several airlines over the series of hoax bomb calls received in the last four days and asked them to stick to standard protocols and keep all stakeholders informed.
During the meeting which was held at the Civil Aviation Ministry’s office in the Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, officials of the BCAS directed the CEOs to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOP) for addressing the bomb threats.
They underlined the importance of keeping all stakeholders informed about the threats and the measures being implemented in response, sources told news agency IANS.
Indian Skies Are Safe: BCAS DG
Meanwhile, BCAS DG Zulfiqar Hasan reassured that Indian skies were safe. He said, “Indian skies are absolutely safe.
The current protocol (to deal with the situation) is robust and is being strictly followed. We reassure passengers that they should fly without any fear and in fact, fly even more.”
More than 30 bomb threats were made against flights operated by various airlines on Saturday alone.
The investigation has revealed that some of the IP addresses linked to these threats originated from London, Germany, Canada, and the US, sources said. However, the officials did not also rule out the possibility that those making the threats used VPNs (virtual private networks) to conceal their true locations.
According to information, the BCAS and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are expected to release new guidelines for airlines to deal with bomb threats.
Over 70 Flights Recieve Bomb Threats
The recent wave of hoax calls and threats, which began on Monday, has persisted daily, leading to numerous flight diversions and delays. So far this week, at least 70 flights of Indian carriers have received threats.
The sources said more than 30 flights, including domestic and international ones, operated by domestic airlines have received bomb threats through social media since Saturday morning. In at least one of the flights, a note was found in the lavatory saying there was a bomb in the flight.