Aviation Watchdog Likely To Propose Five-Year Flying Ban On Those Making Hoax Bomb Threats

The bureau of civil aviation security (BCAS) on Monday said it is mulling a five-year flying ban on individuals across all airlines if they are found guilty of making hoax bomb threat calls to airlines or airport operators.

Six people have been arrested in recent times after airliners and airport authorities noted an ‘exponential’ increase in hoax calls which put passengers as well as airlines staff in tough situations and also sent security officials on a wild goose chase.

The proposal by the aviation security watchdog comes as airliners and security officials tackle an exponential increase in the number of hoax calls.

The bureau of civil aviation security (BCAS) will propose to the civil aviation ministry the new measure aimed at targeting the menace of hoax bomb threats and calls. There is a provision for a temporary ban for three to six months if any incident takes place with respect to a flyer and is limited to the individual airline.

The proposed ban extends to all airlines and for a period of five years.

People familiar with the developments told CNN-News18 that the aviation security watchdog that there is a detailed investigation pending with respect to the hoax calls and threats being made.

Miscreants issuing hoax threats usually use three modes. They either send an email, make a hoax call or leave a threat note inside the lavatories of the airport or the flight.

While the first two can be technically investigated, the last one is harder to detect. In cases of threat notes found in aircraft lavatories, security agencies have begun matching passengers’ handwriting.

Hoax threat issuers ended up causing tensions for flyers and air-carriers alike when Mumbai-bound IndiGo flight from Chennai received a bomb threat message on Tuesday, but it landed safely, without incident.

Earlier in the day, as many airports, including in Varanasi, Chennai, Patna and Jaipur, received bomb threat emails, prompting authorities to scramble contingency measures and carry out anti-sabotage checks that lasted hours, and each of them was found to be a hoax, official sources said.