Jakarta: A plane that transported hundreds of Pilgrims from the Hajj back to Indonesia from the Middle East was diverted on Saturday after a bomb threat, said the Ministry of Transportation and the Police, the second incident of this type in a week.
Saudia Airlines Flight Sv5688 had flown from the Saudi city of Jeddah to the capital Omaní Muscat before traveling to Indonesia, where it owed land in Surabaya, a city on the main island Java.
But air traffic control officers in the Indonesian capital, Yakarta, received a call on a pump threat for the flight, which caused their detour to the Kualanamu International Airport in the city of Medan on Saturday morning, said the General Directorate of Civil Aviation.
The head of the regional airport authority, Asri Santosa, said in a statement that the officers were reviewing the plane after their arrival, but the airport on Sumatra island remained operational.
The 376 passengers, Pilgrims Hajj de Java and 13 crew members were safe at the airport, said the Sumatra del Norte police spokesman Ferry Walintukan AFP.
He said a pump squad was deployed to sweep the plane.
Passengers must resume their trip on Sunday, said Asri.
On Tuesday, a plane that transported 442 Pilgrims Hajj back from Saudi Arabia to Yakarta was also diverted to Medan after a threat of email bomb was sent to the authorities.
