Indian airlines and airports have received 999 false bomb threats this year, as of November 14, the country's deputy civil aviation minister told Parliament.
This is almost 10 times more than the threats received in 2023, said Mr Murlidhar Mohol.
More than 500 threats were received during the last half of October.
The dramatic increase in hoax threats has wreaked havoc on flight schedules, causing widespread disruption to services.
The recent threats were all hoaxes, Mr Mohol said, and “no real threats have been detected at any of the airports/aircraft in India”.
The police registered 256 complaints and 12 people were arrested in connection with these threats, the minister said.
But these cases mark an unprecedented increase in such hoaxes.
Between 2014 and 2017, authorities recorded only 120 airport bomb threats, almost half of which were directed at Delhi and Mumbai, the country's largest airports.
The wave of hoax threats this October delayed several affected flights while others were diverted.
Hoax threats against flights to other countries also lead to the involvement of international agencies.
In October, the Singapore Air Force sent two fighter jets to escort an Air India Express plane following a bomb threat.
The same month, another Air India flight from New Delhi to Chicago was forced to land at a remote airport in Canada.
The flight's passengers were then flown to Chicago aboard an Air Force plane deployed by Canadian officials.
India's civil aviation ministry said at the time that it was making “all possible efforts” to safeguard flight operations.
Indian airports have a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee which assesses the severity of the threat and takes action accordingly. A threat can result in the intervention of bomb squads, sniffer dogs, ambulances, police and doctors.
Passengers are unloaded from the plane along with their carry-on bags, check-in bags and cargo, and they are all screened again. Engineering and security teams are also searching the plane before it is allowed to fly again.
The resulting delay can cost airlines and security agencies thousands of dollars in damages.
More than 150 million passengers took a domestic flight in India last year, according to the civil aviation ministry.
More than 3,000 flights arrive and depart every day in the country from over 150 operational airports, including 33 international airports.
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