Drunken bomb threat causes flight emergency
25.01.11
A 37-year-old man has been arrested and charged with endangering an aircraft following an incident on board a plane that was diverted to Stansted Airport and escorted by two fighter jets yesterday. The Etihad Airways aircraft left Abu Dhabi earlier in the day and had been due to land at Heathrow Airport before its destination was changed. Two RAF Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, during the incident. Stansted Airport operations were suspended while the plane landed.
The police said that a 37-year-old British national was arrested after making threats on board. The Ministry of Defence said that two Typhoon fighter jets had escorted the plane to Stansted Airport, north east of London, after it was diverted from Heathrow. A fellow passenger said the passenger had said he was carrying a bomb and that he appeared intoxicated.
An Etihad Airways spokeswoman added: ‘Flight EY19 was diverted from Heathrow to Stansted. This was done to offload a disruptive passenger. It was a question of inappropriate comments made on the flight and a disruptive passenger. There was no threat to the safety of the aircraft or the passengers.’
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