Inter-ministerial talks underway for strict punishment for persons involved in hoax bomb threats for flights

New Delhi [India], October 18 : The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is in talks with the other concerned ministries to make required amendments in the existing laws to make them more stringent to deal with the cases of hoax bomb threats for flights, MoCA sources said.
The accused person will be put on a no-fly list, said a senior official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday.
The official said that a committee will be formed in consultation with the law ministry and Ministry of home affairs to prepare a draft to make amendments to the Aircraft Act, 1934 and Aircraft Rules, 1937 and subordinate legislations to ensure a 5-year imprisonment as well as placing offenders on a no-fly list for hoax bomb threats for flights.
The government wants to ensure high deterrence for such attempts, the officials said.
At least 26 bomb hoax threats have been received in the past four days to all prominent airlines operating in the country.
A senior official of a prominent Indian airline called it an attempt to disturb the fastest-growing Indian aviation sector. The Hoax bomb alerts cause diversion and delays of aircraft resulting in both financial losses and inconvenience for airlines and passengers.
On recent hoax bomb calls to various flights, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Thursday said, "Action is being taken on this. We can't comment on any kind of a conspiracy but from whatever little bit we know these calls are coming from some minors and pranksters. These are all minor and isolated incidents. There is no kind of conspiracy that we can comment on. From our side, we are going to see what best we can do. We are talking to the airlines, security agencies, within the ministry also. Consultations are going on."