Turbulence in the skies

The skies over India have been anything but calm over the past few days. A sudden wave of hoax bomb threats has caused widespread panic and chaos. Since Monday, at least 19 flights have been targeted, leading to massive delays, diversions, and a domino effect of disruptions. Affected airlines include Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa Air etc. While no actual bombs have been found thus far, the psychological and economic damage unleashed by these hoaxes is substantial. These threats have affected domestic routes and disrupted international flights as well, putting additional strain on aviation agencies worldwide. Authorities in countries like Singapore and Canada had to be involved in certain investigations.

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Although the Indian aviation industry is no stranger to hoax bomb threats, the threats floated in the first half of this week have taken things on a considerably turbulent and costly route. Every time a bomb threat is made, a complex and expensive security procedure is triggered. Flights are diverted to isolation bays, passengers are offloaded, and bomb squads, sniffer dogs, and security teams are roped in. Luggage and cargo are meticulously searched before the plane is allowed to fly again. All this, as officials note, is highly expensive and time-consuming. Flights get delayed by hours, creating a ripple effect that affects other flights scheduled on the same aircraft. Additionally, airlines are obliged to compensate passengers, provide refreshments, hotel accommodations, etc. Passengers, too, suffer—beyond mere inconvenience, such events are anxiety-inducing and psychologically distressing. For