Odisha: Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda Airports Get ‘Hoax’ Bomb Threats

Bhubaneswar airport director, Prasanna Pradhan, confirmed that the threat, received via the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), was a hoax. "It was not a direct call, but a hoax message indicating that bombs had been planted on multiple Akasa Air flights. This has been deemed non-specific," Pradhan said.

Following the threat call, a high alert was issued at both airports, and security measures were immediately heightened. Dog squads and bomb disposal teams were deployed to thoroughly inspect the premises.

At Jharsuguda Airport, there were additional rumors that a Bengaluru-Jharsuguda IndiGo flight was targeted. As soon as the flight landed, bomb and dog squads were mobilized. Passengers, understandably, were alarmed, but the thorough checks revealed no evidence of any explosive devices. The threat was confirmed to be a hoax.

Bhubaneswar Airport had also received a similar bomb threat earlier in the day. After rigorous security checks, no bombs were found, and the threat was similarly dismissed as a hoax.

According to reports, on Thursday alone, up to 95 flights from airlines such as IndiGo, Vistara, SpiceJet, Air India, Akasa Air, and Alliance Air faced similar bomb threats. This follows a growing trend, with over 250 flights reportedly receiving threats in the past 10 days, many originating from social media.

The rise in hoax bomb threats has caused significant distress and inconvenience to air passengers and authorities alike.