A Hong Kong
Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a bomb
threat sparked a scare for the carrier and passengers today.
The Airbus A330-200 was flying from Beijing to Hong Kong when the airline received a report that there could be a bomb on board.
The
security scare occurred as the National People’s Congress, a national
legislature comprised of nearly 3,000 lawmakers, met in Beijing for
China’s most important political gathering of the year.
Hong
Kong Airlines confirmed that flight HX337 diverted to Wuhan Tianhe
International Airport about halfway into its three-hour journey.
The
airline said it was notified of ‘a suspected bomb threat’ after the
plane had departed Beijing Capital International Airport at 12:08pm
local time.
The plane,
carrying 295 passengers and crew, was evacuated when it landed in Wuhan
and was met by police officers and firefighters.
Photos
posted on China’s Weibo social-networking website showed passengers
gathered on the tarmac, fire trucks parked next to the plane, and police
officers inside the cabin.
Hong Kong Airlines said authorities did a sweep of the plane and cleared it of any threat.
The
granted permission for the plane to resume its journey to Hong Kong
International Airport, but it was unable to depart because its crew had
reached its maximum allowable hours for duty time and required rest.
Hong
Kong Airlines said it arranged for additional crew members to fly from
Hong Kong to Wuhan and operate the rescheduled flight.
The
carrier said it offered food and hotel accommodation to the passengers,
who were expected to face a delay of more than 10 hours.
Reports:Daily Mail
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