Air India serial bomb threats: Why is it significant amid Canada tensions?

A series of bomb threats against multiple Indian airlines has rocked the country this week, throwing authorities there and across five other nations into a scramble to investigate threats amid long delays and flight diversions.

India’s flagship carrier, Air India, has been the target of more than a dozen warnings since Monday, along with threats targeting local private carriers.

So far, the threats have turned out to be hoaxes. However, they come amid heightened tensions between India and Canada over the long-term presence of Sikh separatists in the country.

It’s a fatal combination: Sikh separatists, India, and Canada have a deadly history linked to one of the worst aviation disasters ever recorded.

Here’s what you need to know about the bomb threats and why they matter as India and Canada feud:

At least 19 bomb threats have been issued on social media sites like X against aircraft in the country in the space of three days, including Air India flights and three private carriers.

Bomb threats are common, but several targeting a country in a few days is unusual.

On Monday, officials disclosed that three international flights were diverted or delayed following threats of bombing, including an Air India flight from New Delhi to Chicago, which was forced to land in a remote airport in Canada. On Wednesday, Canadian officials deployed an Air Force plane to airlift the 200-plus passengers to Chicago.

Another series of threats followed on Tuesday, including one targeting an Air India Express flight from Madurai in southern India to Singapore. The Southeast Asian nation’s air force scrambled two F-15SG fighter jets to escort the aircraft to a sparsely populated bay at Changi Airport, said authorities.