Lessons learnt, assessment policy revised to deal with hoax messages to airlines: CISF

New Delhi: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Monday said it has "learnt its lessons" following incidents of a spate of hoax messages being sent to Indian airlines recently and the situation has improved after the assessment protocol for such calls was revised.

Several domestic carriers, between October and November, received hundreds of "hoax" messages or calls on their official communication channels including on social media claiming bombs being placed or a hijacker onboard leading to numerous diversions and delays for passengers in specific and the entire aviation ecosystem in general.

"There were a very large number of hoax calls recently (to the airlines)...but we have learnt our lessons. The Government of India rules were revised regarding the requirements for convening the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) meetings.

"The basic revision done was that the BTAC can meet online or in a digital mode hence cutting down the time to convene such a meeting. The situation has improved considerably after this...," CISF Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Shrikant Kishore told reporters here.

PTI had in October reported that the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) under the Union civil aviation ministry has tweaked BTAC procedures in the wake of the messages being sent over the social media daily by adopting a "multi-layered" approach to assess threats and determine their "credibility and seriousness." According to the new guidelines, upon receipt of a bomb threat, the BTAC can be convened over a internet-based secure platform but this is only an "interim" arrangement till the members of the committee assemble physically at the designated control room.

Asked about the issue of congestion at several airports in the country during the vacations, Kishore said the force and other agencies involved in civil airport operations were "at a better position now" as they saw "improvement and enhancement" in security infrastructure and manpower.

The force provides counter-terrorist security cover to 68 civil airports of the country and has deployed about 48,000 personnel for this task out of its total manpower of about 1.7 lakh men and women.