Passengers were left stranded at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah airport in Subang yesterday (Tuesday, 17th May) when a bomb hoax caused a 4-hour delay for an international flight.
The plane had taken off around 7:40pm to Singapore. Shortly after, the airport’s management received 2 anonymous phone calls around 8pm. The calls were minutes apart and are believed to be from the same person. In the first call, the man conversed in English, but the line was disconnected. In the second call, he spoke in Bahasa Malaysia.
The male caller claimed that there was a bomb on the plane, said Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Zani Che Din. The plane turned around after the threat.
Mohd Zani stated:
The air control tower was alerted to the threat and the plane was ordered to turn back.
It made an emergency landing back at the airport around 8.20pm.
Upon landing, the commercial aircraft, which was from a local airline, was isolated on the tarmac as passengers and crew were ordered to evacuate. The plane was inspected and swept by a bomb squad but no explosives were found.
30 passengers and 4 crew members later boarded a second plane and resumed their flight to Singapore around 11:40pm.
“We are investigating the case under Section 507 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation,” said Mohd Zani.
Sources: The Star, New Straits Times.
