“Even if the threats turn out to be hoaxes, I have reminded the Director General of Air Transportation to track them down,” Purwagandhi said on Thursday.
He emphasized that even minor negligence in air transportation could have serious consequences for public safety.
If the threats are proven to be hoaxes, the ministry will still conduct a thorough investigation to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future.
The minister acknowledged that security threats are an inherent risk in the transportation sector. However, he stressed the importance of a disciplined and proactive response to ensure public comfort and safety.
He added that the incidents would be included in a comprehensive evaluation to be carried out by the Ministry of Transportation in collaboration with security authorities.
Also speaking on the matter, the ministry’s Director General of Air Transportation, Lukman F. Laisa, said his office had coordinated with several related institutions to investigate the bomb threats.
He said his team had taken a number of measures, including notifying Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and Indonesia’s National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT).
The ministry also reached out to the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) for support in the investigation.
Previously, on June 17, a bomb threat was reported involving Saudia Airlines flight SV-5726, which was carrying 442 Indonesian Hajj pilgrims. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Kualanamu Airport in North Sumatra after an anonymous email threat was received at 7:30 a.m. local time.
A similar incident occurred on June 21 involving Saudia Airlines flight SV-5688, carrying 376 pilgrims from Surabaya Debarkation Group 33. The aircraft also made an emergency landing at the same airport after receiving a suspected bomb threat via telephone.
The threat, which was relayed to Air Traffic Control (ATC) officers at the Jakarta Area Control Center (ACC) by the Kuala Lumpur ACC, pertained to a different flight route—Jeddah–Muscat (Oman)–Surabaya.
The Ministry of Transportation has confirmed that both threats were baseless and have been classified as hoaxes by the relevant authorities.
Related news: Saudia flight diverted after threat, no explosives discovered
Related news: Indonesian Police, FBI probe bomb threat to pilgrim flight
Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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