Precautionary measure: Bomb threat delays PIA flight by 4 hours

Plane was preparing for departure from Lahore when caller rang airport claiming there was a bomb on board.

ISLAMABAD:

A bomb threat delayed a Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight bound for Dubai by four hours on Thursday, with officials clearing it for takeoff after searches found no explosive device on board.

The plane was preparing for its scheduled 11am departure from Lahore when an anonymous caller rang the airport claiming there was a bomb on board.

The call received at PIA’s Karachi office, informed management that a bomb had been planted on flight PK 202, minutes before takeoff. A PIA spokesperson told The Express Tribune that PIA management immediately offloaded all 155 passengers and crew members.

Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Pervez George said all threats had to be taken seriously although most turned out to be hoaxes. Last month, a PIA jet was forced to land shortly after takeoff from Karachi after a passenger made a hijack threat.

The state carrier is on the verge of going bust, but provides the only direct services from Pakistan to Britain, Europe and North America. (With additional input from AFP)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2012.