Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

An Air India Express flight from Dubai to Jaipur with 189 passengers on board received a bomb threat by email on Saturday (October 19). Air India Express flight IX-196 made an emergency landing at Jaipur International Airport at 1:20am on Saturday, according to Jaipur Airport Police SHO Sandeep Basera A thorough check was conducted by security forces but found nothing suspicious. The police are currently investigating the source of the bomb threat. Meanwhile, sources from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) stated that the ministry is in discussions with other relevant ministries to amend existing laws, making them stricter to address cases of hoax bomb threats on flights. A senior official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Friday (October 18) that the accused person will be put on a no-fly list. According to the official, a committee will be established in collaboration with the law ministry and the Ministry of Home Affairs to draft amendments to the Aircraft Act of 1934, the Aircraft Rules of 1937, and related regulations. The proposed changes aim to enforce a five-year prison sentence and to prohibit offenders from flying for making hoax bomb threats against flights. In the past four days, at least 26 bomb hoax threats have been received by all major airlines operating in the country. A senior official from a major Indian airline described the hoax bomb threats as an attempt to disrupt the rapidly growing Indian aviation sector. These false alarms lead to aircraft diversions and delays, resulting in financial losses and inconvenience for both airlines and passengers. FLE/Expat Media
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