Bomb threats: Govt plans strict norms, no-fly list option against perpetrators

The civil aviation ministry plans to put in place strict norms to prevent incidents of hoax bomb threats to airlines, including placing the perpetrators on the no-fly list, a senior official said on Thursday.

Civil aviation minister K. Rammohan Naidu on Thursday said the ministry is looking at amending civil aviation regulations to ensure strict action is taken against incidents of bomb threats to airlines.

In four days, at least 25 flights of various Indian airlines received bomb threats, including international flights, and some of them were diverted. All of the threats have turned out to be hoaxes.

"We are taking things seriously... we will take action," Naidu said about the bomb threats. He also emphasised that there needs to be changes in civil aviation rules and regulations to ensure strict action with respect to bomb threats to airlines.

To a query on whether there is a conspiracy behind the bomb threats, the minister said, "Whatever we know now is about individuals and minors..." He was speaking on the sidelines of a function for the inauguration of a civil aviation park on the premises of the civil aviation ministry in the national capital.

The ministry is looking at amending existing rules, including those related to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), in order to ensure stringent punishments are in place for the culprits, the official said.

Placing individuals making hoax bomb threats in the airlines' no-fly list is one of the proposals being looked at, he added. The official also said legal opinions are being sought with respect to making the changes in the rules.

The provisions being followed in foreign countries to deal with hoax bomb threats are also being examined by the ministry. Further, the official said that if necessary, legislative amendments will be explored for having a strong deterrent to prevent people from making hoax bomb threats to airlines.

Currently, there are strict norms against unruly passenger behaviour onboard flights, but there are no specific provisions under the aviation regulations to deal with instances where a bomb threat has come from outside sources such as social media.

At present, the actions against hoax bomb threat incidents are taken by the police under criminal laws. The official also said discussions are ongoing with the home and law ministries, while inputs are being gathered from airlines. "We want rules that can act as a deterrent," the official said.

On Wednesday, Naidu said law enforcement agencies are actively pursuing all cases of bomb threats against airlines and the government is closely monitoring the situation. He had also condemned any attempt to compromise the safety, security and operational integrity of the aviation sector.