The Ministry of Public Security (MPS)vowed on Tuesday to give harsher punishments to those who fabricate threats targeting flights following a series of such hoaxes last week.
Two men who made false bomb threats that affected more than 16 flighs last week have been arrested, said the ministry in a statement.
The ministry has also issued a notice to police across the country asking them to treat such cases as criminal ones, rather than violations of security administration, as criminal cases bear greater punishment.
Law experts have said the punishment for these hoax calls is light, and people could copycat the hoaxes easily without paying a high price.
Zhang Qihuai, a lawyer who specializes in the aviation industry, told the Global Times that so far in China, punishment given to the most severe case is a four-year imprisonment and a fine of up to 2,000 yuan ($326).
Five domestic flights were affected after a man phoned in false bomb threats last Wednesday, while a further 11 flights were disrupted after a Friday bomb threat.
The threats came from anonymous phone calls to airports and airline offices. The ministry said the hoaxes created long delays and severely disrupted flight order.
Zhang said forcing flights to land and the delays could waste over 100,000 yuan worth of jet fuel and cause other losses.
"But most people who have caused such inconvenience and economic losses would just be put into administrative detention, and airlines and passengers seldom ask for compensation from them," Zhang added.
According to China's criminal law, those who intentionally disrupt flight operations by fabricating threats may be jailed for up to five years.
Zhang said experts have suggested modifying judicial explanations to the criminal law to give more serious punishments to offenders.
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