More sky marshals, crackdown on culprits: Here's how the govt plans to counter airline bomb threats

The threats via microblogging platform X came a day after three international flights originating from Mumbai received bomb threats.

Domestic airlines in India received around 19 hoax bomb threats between October 14 and 16, leading to flight cancellations, delays, and diversions, and raising questions about the government's protocol for handling such threats.

On October 15, after around 13 bomb threats senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) held a meeting to figure out solutions to the disruption caused by the fake bomb alerts. Top officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) were part of the meeting.

Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, MoCA, who was part of this meeting, said the government has a well-established protocol for bomb threats which has been followed in the cases seen over the past week.

Speaking to the media on October 17, he said that the protocols in place cover threats received over a phone call, social media or through a physical warning i.e. letter/billboards.

How is the Centre planning to counter bomb threats received by airlines?

Heightened security

Besides the MoCA, the MHA has also asked the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Bureau of Civil Aviation, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to submit reports on the bomb threats received by airlines last week.

The cyber units of the government have also been alerted to carry out an audit to trace footprints of the emails which appear to have been masked and originated from abroad, sources said, adding that the accounts were shut down after they came to notice.

The government on Wednesday informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport that it is considering deploying a greater number of the elite National Security Guard (NSG) personnel on international flights.

Civil aviation secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam also told the committee that investigators have gathered some information on the recent threats and are taking action. Separately, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said he is monitoring the situation closely.

A senior official of the CISF, the paramilitary force that handles airport security, said state police have been asked to arrest and take strong action against people making such threats. Security agencies are also analysing patterns behind the bomb threats received last week.

Increased deployment of air marshals

In response to an increasing number of bomb threats targeting flights, the central government has announced plans to double the deployment of air marshals on sensitive routes.

Air marshals, or sky marshals, are highly trained counter-terror operatives who are covertly placed on civilian flights to deal with possible hijacking attempts.

The plain-clothed officers are armed with concealed firearms for instant intervention whenever required. In India, personnel from a specialised unit of the NSG are tasked with ensuring the safety of passenger aircraft mid-air.

The decision to increase the deployment of sky marshals was made following an assessment of the growing threat and inputs from intelligence agencies.

According to a senior MHA official, the new deployments will focus on international routes that have recently been classified as sensitive, based on input from intelligence agencies. These routes will include both new international destinations and select domestic flights.

"The fresh batch of air marshals will be deployed on new international routes added in the sensitive category based on intelligence report. The decision was taken after several rounds of meetings with all stakeholders in aviation security," the officer stated.

India began deploying sky marshals after the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, which was taken to Afghanistan's Kandahar by its hijackers.

What action has been taken in the recent hoax bomb threat cases?

The government is also cracking down on the culprits behind the hoax bomb threats, with a minor from Chandigarh being taken into custody by the Mumbai Police arrested on October 16 over a series of bomb threats being issued to various airlines.

Police said the threats were allegedly issued because the boy wanted to frame one of his friends, with whom he had a dispute over money.

The 17-year-old boy, a school dropout from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, and his father had been summoned by the Mumbai Police on Tuesday. While he has been taken into custody and is being taken to a remand home, his father is still being questioned, police sources said. The teenager allegedly created a handle on X in the name of the friend with whom he had a dispute and posted bomb threats from it.

Will culprits be put on the no-fly list?

The government is also considering placing individuals responsible for bomb threat actions on the no-fly list. The BCAS proposed this idea to the Union aviation ministry in June 2024, and the proposal is being seriously considered following the rising threats received in the past week.

Airlines are pressing the government to address this issue, as it causes inconvenience to passengers, disrupts schedules, and incurs significant costs. Air India is contemplating legal action to recover losses from those responsible for these threats. Both airlines and passengers expect the authorities to enforce the no-fly list soon.

What are the protocols when a bomb alert is received?

Although most bomb threats turn out to be fake, airlines as well as aviation authorities globally treat them with utmost seriousness. The security checks, which often take a few hours, result in disruptions like delays and even rescheduling of the remainder of the flight in some cases, which hit the airlines financially.

When an aircraft receives a bomb threat deemed as a specific threat, a detailed security protocol is followed, which could include diverting the aircraft to a suitable nearby airport and taking it to an isolated bay, where passengers are quickly made to deplane. The aircraft as well as passengers’ bags are subject to a thorough security inspection before being allowed to take off again.

According to the protocol, an assessment committee comprising airport operators and security agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau is constituted in case of a bomb threat to assess the gravity of the warning and act accordingly. This committee decides if the threat is 'specific' (indicating a possible breach of security) or 'non-specific' (indicating a possible hoax).

If the committee decides the threat is specific, all the passengers are off-loaded along with their cabin and check-in baggage. The cargo and catering items are also removed. It is followed by re-screening of the passengers and their baggage, and the empty aircraft is thoroughly screened by airline, engineering and security staff. In case of non-specific threats, agencies don’t carry out any drill.

What should the passengers do?

The passengers should cooperate with the crew and security agencies who are there to help. An orderly disembarking along with giving priority to infants, kids, expectant mothers and senior citizens. It is wise to focus and identify your own luggage.
In case there are any signs of suspicious behaviour of co-passengers, letting the cabin crew know discreetly will add value. There have been cases where threats have been found in the washrooms with no way to cross-check who from the plane went and wrote. In such occasions, information by co-passengers can add value to the investigation. Most importantly, maintaining calm, and not spreading lies or unsubstantiated information will go a long way in ensuring that the security agencies do their job effectively and it helps release the aircraft soon, which could then be used to fly towards the intended destination.