On Tuesday, two bomb threats targeted Indian airliners on opposite sides of the globe, forcing an emergency landing in the Arctic and the scrambling of fighter jets in Asia. These incidents are the latest in a series of similar hoax scares affecting the country’s airlines.
Indian airlines have experienced “a number of threats in recent days,” all of which have been deemed hoaxes, Air India said in a statement, as authorities in New Delhi and worldwide continue to investigate the string of false bomb warnings.
In one incident, an Air India flight from New Delhi to Chicago made an emergency landing in Iqaluit, Canada’s northernmost city. All 211 passengers and crew were safely evacuated to the airport, according to Canadian police.
Air India flight 127 was diverted due to “a security threat posted online” and rerouted “as a precautionary measure,” the airline confirmed.
In a separate incident on Tuesday, Singapore scrambled two Air Force F-15 fighter jets to escort an Air India Express plane away from populated areas before it landed at Changi Airport, according to Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen on social platform X. Flight AXB684, traveling from Madurai, India, to Singapore, received a bomb threat via email, Ng said.
The threat triggered the activation of Singapore’s ground-based air defense systems and explosive ordnance disposal units. Upon arrival, the plane was handed over to airport police, and investigations are ongoing.
Since Monday, several flights operated by Indian carriers have been delayed or diverted due to false bomb threats, including domestic and international flights. The threats, which seem to originate from emails or social media posts, have affected airlines such as Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet.
Among the impacted flights was an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York, which was diverted to Delhi on Monday due to a hoax bomb alert, according to an airline spokesperson. Additionally, two IndiGo flights, one bound for Oman and the other for Saudi Arabia, faced significant delays due to bomb threats. SpiceJet also reported receiving a bomb threat for a flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai on Tuesday. The aircraft landed safely in Mumbai and was moved to an isolation bay for precautionary checks before being cleared for further operations.
Although the motive behind the threats remains unclear and no connection between the incidents has been established, Air India emphasized that all threats are taken seriously. “As a responsible airline, we are working with authorities to ensure those responsible for the disruption and inconvenience caused to passengers are held accountable,” the airline said.
India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) is set to meet on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing situation, according to CNN affiliate News 18. CNN has reached out to MOCA, India’s Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for comment.
The Air India emergency landing in Canada comes at a time of heightened tensions between India and Canada. On Monday, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the High Commissioner, amid accusations that Indian agents were involved in violence against Sikh separatists. India called these accusations “preposterous” and retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats.
While there is no evidence linking the bomb threats to the diplomatic tensions, the threats to Air India flights in Canada have revived memories of the 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182 by Sikh extremists, which remains the worst terrorist attack in Canada’s history. The flight, en route from Montreal to New Delhi, exploded off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people on board, most of them Canadians.
