Precautionary measure: PIA flight cleared by BDS departs 2 hours late

PK 305 was due to fly at 6 pm, however, after BDS took 2 hours clear it, flight departed Lahore airport at 8 pm.

LAHORE: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK 305 was cleared the by bomb disposal squad to take off following a bomb scare at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore on Thursday evening.

With 212 people on board, PK 305 was ready to depart when an anonymous call tipped off airport authorities towards the possibility of an explosive device aboard the Karachi bound flight. Security forces rushed to the plane and conducted a thorough search of the aircraft for two hours before declaring it as clear.

The plane, which was due to depart Lahore at 6 pm, finally left the tarmac at 8pm.

PIA officials at the Allama Iqbal International airport in Lahore confirmed that security forces had not found any explosive devices on the plane after an unknown caller had tipped the PIA management about a possible bomb threat.

Officials claimed that most bomb-alert calls are fake, however, each call is followed up by a search.

Meanwhile, after the bogus call, overall security at the airport has been tightened. Security forces are thoroughly checking every vehicle entering the facility. The security measure has contributed to traffic jams at the entry points of the airport.

According to a PIA spokesman, no other flight was delayed due to the search operation.

Last year, at least two PIA flights which had taken off from the Lahore airport, had to make forced landings when anonymous callers suggested bombs had been planted on board. 187 people on board aPIA flight to Malaysia was forced to land in Kuala Lumpur, while another flight to England was forced to land in Istanbul, Turkey and searched. No explosive devices were found on either aircraft.