In the world of air travel, announcement about the boarding and arrival comes and goes but few announcements are more unsettling than a bomb threat. As passengers settle to board their flights, imagine an unexpected announcement jolts you from your daydreams, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are diverting due to a bomb threat." For countless travellers recently, this has now become a startling reality in the current scenario.
Instead of taking a safe travel, many passengers including the airline authorities are finding themselves at the center of chaos, facing the repercussions of hoaxes that not only disrupt flights but also threaten the financial stability of the industry.
A Surge in Bomb Threats
As per various reports, in the recent, over more than 20 airlines today (October 19) received bomb threat calls resulting to flight diversion, emergency landing and so on.
In just a few days, over 40 flights from various Indian airlines including Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, Vistara, SpiceJet, Star Air, and Alliance Air have been targeted by bomb threats.
Amid the peak of the travelling this, these bomb threat calls disrupt several issue for an already struggling industry.
The Cost of Safety
For instance, in the case when an airline receives a bomb threat in any sense, they must act swiftly to ensure the safety of the passenger first. This includes various measures such as diverting flights, conducting thorough security checks, and sometimes making emergency or unscheduled landings. Ahead of all this, each of this action incurs significant costs.
According to the Times of India, the financial impact of a single hoax can exceed Rs 3 crore.
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As per the report, airlines must cover various expenses, including:
Overtime Pay for Crew- With flight schedules disrupted, crew members often have to work longer hours, incurring additional labor costs.
Fuel Expenses- Rerouting flights and ensuring safe landings can lead to substantial fuel wastage. As per the Times of India report, estimate that the cost of fuel alone can amount to around Rs 1 crore when a flight is diverted due to a bomb threat.
Passenger Accommodations- Airlines are responsible for arranging hotel stays for stranded passengers and crew, further adding to the financial burden, added the report.
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Additional Landing Charges- Unexpected landings at alternative airports can lead to hefty parking and landing fees, compounding the financial losses, as per the report.
Ahead of all this, this also disrupts the crew schedules and requiring the reallocation of resources. Airlines often have to arrange overnight stays for passengers and negotiate new landing slots, all while dealing with the fallout of delayed services.
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According to a recent report by the Economic Times report, there was a 60 per cent surge in flight bookings to popular domestic destinations, with international trips seeing an uptick of 70 to 80 per cent.
As travel demand surges, the potential for lost revenue from bomb threat disruptions becomes even more pronounced, threatening the financial health of airlines during a critical period.