Bomb Threat Causes Passenger Flight From Warsaw To Egypt To Make Emergency Landing In Bulgaria

UPDATE: 6:25 a.m. EST -- Small Planet Airlines released a statement Thursday after its flight, from Warsaw, Poland, to the Egyptian resort of Hurghada, was diverted to Bulgaria. A passenger on the flight had claimed that there were explosives on the plane, which was carrying 161 passengers.

Dear all, today in the morning Small Planet Airlines flight P7 8015 from Warsaw to Hurghada has made an emergency landing: one passenger claimed he might have explosives with him. The flight crew immediately made a decision to land in the nearest airport - Burgas, Bulgaria - for security procedures. Although the passenger later admitted that he was only joking, all security measures have been implemented as passenger safety is the highest priority at Small Planet Airlines. In Burgas all passengers were asked to leave the aircraft and the baggage was offloaded too for security check. The aircraft will be inspected as well. Small Planet Airlines are taking all necessary security measures and cooperating with local security services in order to ensure flight safety. The company is sending another aircraft to carry the passengers of this flight to Hurghada.

UPDATE: 3:54 a.m. EST -- The passenger who had claimed that there was a bomb on a flight, carrying 161 passengers from Warsaw to the Egyptian resort of Hurghada, has accepted on being questioned by police that he had consumed alcohol, Russia Today reported. The plane had to make an emergency landing in Bulgaria’s Burgas city at 5:45 a.m., local time, Thursday (10:45 p.m. EST on Wednesday) after the bomb threat.

Bulgarian security forces conducted a thorough search of the plane after it landed.

Original story:

A plane flying from Warsaw, Poland, to the Egyptian beach resort town of Hurghada on the Red Sea coast, had to make an emergency landing Thursday at Bulgaria’s Burgas city after a bomb threat, according to reports.

The passengers were evacuated from the flight, Sputnik News reported, citing local reports from Bulgaria.

“A 64-year-old passenger reported the bomb and is already being questioned by law enforcers,” Nova TV, Bulgaria’s local news network, reported, according to Sputnik News.

The report follows the October crash of a Russian plane, which was headed to St. Petersburg in Russia from the Egyptian resort area of Sharm el-Sheikh. The Russian Metrojet flight 9268 crashed over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board. Authorities suspect that a bomb was placed on the plane.