New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry is planning to impose strict rules to prevent incidents of bomb threats on planes and include the culprits in the ‘no fly’ list. A senior official gave this information on Thursday.
More than 20 flights of various Indian airlines have received bomb threats in four days, including international flights, and some of them were diverted. Most of the threats have proved false.
In this regard, the ministry is considering amending the existing rules, including those related to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), to ensure stricter punishment for the culprits, an official said.
The official said a proposal to put people making false bomb blast threats on the airline’s ‘no-fly’ list is under consideration. He also said that legal opinion is being collected regarding making changes in the rules.
The ministry is also examining the provisions being adopted in foreign countries to deal with fake bomb threats. Additionally, legislative amendments will be considered to prevent people from making false threats, if necessary, the official said.
There are currently strict rules against passengers misbehaving on board, but there are no specific provisions under aviation rules to deal with cases where bomb threats are received from external sources such as social media.
Currently, police take action against incidents of fake bomb threats under criminal laws. The official also said that discussions are being held with the home and law ministries, while information is also being collected from the airline.
“We want rules that are stringent,” the official said. On Wednesday, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said law enforcement agencies are actively investigating all cases of bomb threats to airlines and the government is closely monitoring the situation. He condemned any attempt to compromise the safety and operations of the aviation sector.