A bomb threat that turned out to be a hoax forced a commercial flight en route from Poland to Egypt to make an emergency landing in Bulgaria on Thursday, the operator of the aircraft said.
The Airbus A320 landed early in the morning in the Black Sea city of Burgas. Authorities said all 161 passengers and crew were evacuated safely, Reuters reported.
A 67-year-old male passenger “informed the cabin crew about the explosives he might be carrying,” Small Planet Airlines, which operated the flight, said in a statement. “(He) … later admitted it was a joke.”
Bulgarian special forces found no explosives after doing an initial sweep of the plane, and they were conducting a second check, a police spokeswoman told Reuters.
She also said the passenger who alerted the crew about a possible bomb on board later admitted having consumed alcohol.
The plane was en route to the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. Small Planet Airlines said it was sending another aircraft to Burgas airport to enable the passengers to complete their journey.
Bulgaria and many other European countries have tightened security controls at its borders and airports in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris Friday that left 129 people dead and 352 wounded.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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