A Singapore Airlines flight was temporarily grounded in Johannesburg’s Tambo International Airport (JNB) on March 14, 2023 after a bomb threat.
JNB Airport’s operator, Airports Company South Africa confirmed on social media that it received a call claiming that there was a bomb on flight SQ478, which was scheduled to fly from JNB Airport to Cape Town International Airport (CPT).
All 58 passengers and 15 crew members disembarked safely after it landed at JNB airport.
“The aircraft landed at OR Tambo (International Airport). Emergency services were activated, along with fire and rescue and the South African Police Service,” the message read.
The airport operator also said that the aircraft was screened by K9 units, and the plane was declared clear and safe at 11:39 local time.
The flight eventually departed at 12:37 local time, and arrived at CPT airport 14:29 local time, around five hours behind schedule.
A Singapore Airlines spokesperson confirmed to the Straits Times that all passengers and crew disembarked the aircraft safely, and that supplementary security checks were conducted while airline crew assisted authorities with the investigations.
“Singapore Airlines takes the safety of our customers and staff very seriously,” the airline said, adding that it was unable to provide more details due to security matters.