Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Plane delayed when woman shouts ‘bomb’ before take-off

‘There’s a bomb on the plane…it’s not safe’, said one passenger

Friday 25 October 2019 10:52 BST
Comments
A Hong Kong Airlines flight was delayed by four hours when somebody shouted 'bomb' before take-off
A Hong Kong Airlines flight was delayed by four hours when somebody shouted 'bomb' before take-off (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A flight was delayed when a passenger shouted that there was a bomb on the plane.

Hong Kong Airlines flight HX253 was flying from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport to Hong Kong when a female passenger made the bomb threat shortly before take-off.

The plane was delayed by four hours while the aircraft was checked for explosives, reported local media.

The jet had just taxied to the runway ready for take-off when a woman stood up and shouted: “There’s a bomb on the plane…it’s not safe.”

Flight crew then aborted the take-off and returned the plane to the airport where police searched the aircraft and took the woman into custody.

It’s understood that the woman who shouted “bomb” will face charges of violating the Civil Aviation Law.

Flight HX253 landed in Hong Kong more than three hours late, according to Flight Radar.

Hong Kong to Taipei is the world’s second-busiest international air route with more than 28,000 flights a year.

Threats of bombs on planes are nothing new.

In July, a man confessed in court to calling in a false bomb threat because a flight attendant onboard would not agree to go on a date with him.

The unnamed 65-year-old Serbian man revealed he asked two Lufthansa flight attendants to go to dinner with him but they had declined.

He said he particularly liked one of the women and when he could not find her at her hotel he decided to call in the bomb threat to keep her from leaving.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in