A Flyme passenger flight has made an emergency landing at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) at 11:49pm on Saturday after the pilot received a bomb threat, the Maldives National Defense Forces (MNDF) has confirmed.
All 11 passengers and three crew members on board the flight have been escorted safely off the plane, the statement said. The MNDF is now conducting a search of the aircraft.
The airport runway was opened after a two and a half hour closure.
The Maldives Police Services declined to state if any arrests were made, only stating that said an investigation team is active at the airport.
The flight to Baa Atoll Dharavandhoo Island left Malé at 11:04pm, a journey of approximately 20 minutes.
Minivan News understands a passenger on board the flight passed the bomb threat written in English to the pilot via a member of the crew.
On receiving the threat, the pilot immediately turned around and headed back to INIA. All arrivals to Malé were diverted and departures including a Singapore Airlines and Turkish Arlines flight were delayed.
Only one of the 11 passengers is a Maldivian, a Flyme official has confirmed.
A year ago, on November 23, a Flyme flight departing to Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Kaadehdhoo was delayed after a group threatened to hijack the plane.
Flyme is operated by Villa Air, a subsidiary of Villa Group. Tourism tycoon, Jumhooree Party Leader and MP Gasim Ibrahim is the owner of Villa Group.
Last week a Flyme flight was forced to return to Malé en route to Kadadehdhoo after a 59-year-old woman died during shortly after take off.
(0)Dislikes
(0)