/ 22 December 2008

Greek flight lands safely after bomb threat

An Aeroflot flight from Athens to Moscow turned back in mid-air on Monday after receiving an anonymous bomb warning, but the plane landed safely and all the passengers were disembarked, airport officials said.

The Airbus A-319 with 49 passengers onboard had been flying for about an hour when it received news of the bomb threat, said Aeroflot spokesperson Irina Dannenberg in Moscow.

Greek aviation officials said the plane was being thoroughly checked for explosives.

”An unknown man called and said there was a bomb on the Aeroflot plane headed from Athens to Moscow,” a Greek civil aviation official told Reuters.

”We told the pilot to return to Athens for the appropriate checks. The plane was near the border with Turkey at the time.” — Reuters