FILE PHOTO: A Singapore Airlines aircraft flies past a Scoot Boeing 787 Dreamliner displayed at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Center February 16, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
April 5, 2018
By John Geddie and Aradhana Aravindan
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Two Singapore fighter jets escorted a civilian plane bound for Thailand safely back to the city-state on Thursday after a bomb threat was made by a passenger, the airline and authorities said.
The passenger suspected of making the threat and two travel companions were assisting police investigations, police said. All passengers and crew on Scoot Flight TR632 disembarked safely.
Scoot is the budget carrier of Singapore Airlines.
Two F-15SG fighter jets responded to the pilot’s alert and escorted the plane from the South China Sea back to Changi airport, Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post.
“For our RSAF pilots who are on stand-by duties 24/7, every threat is considered real until proven otherwise,” said Ng in a Facebook post.
No further details were immediately available.
Singapore has a near-perfect record of keeping its shores free of terror, but it has markedly stepped up efforts to deter militancy in recent years with more frequent attacks on Western countries and after Islamic State militants briefly took over a town in the southern Philippines last year.
Flight Aware plane tracker said Flight TR634 was a twin-engine Airbus A320.
Scoot said it was “working closely with the authorities for necessary follow-up to ensure the safety of our guests”.
Changi Airport Group said its ground resources were on standby and Airport Police were currently investigating.
(Reporting by John Geddie and Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Nick Macfie)
