Flights were disrupted at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport when a passenger “joked” about there being a bomb on the plane.
“Yes, it was a Denpasar-Cengkareng (Jakarta) flight,” Lion Air spokesman Andy M Saladin confirmed with Detik on Wednesday.
The incident happened at about 5 pm. A passenger on the Lion Air flight had been traveling with three other companions and mentioned a bomb on board, stating that the flight would explode shortly after takeoff. Other passengers on board overheard and immediately reported the comments to flight crew, which caused the plane to halt preparation for takeoff, according to the Lion Air spokesman.
“Suddenly, one passenger was shouting, pointing, and screaming about a bomb. After that, we did security procedures, and brought the plane back to the apron,” Saladin said.
The passenger was secured by airport security officers and police, while the rest of the other passengers also got off the plane and the bomb squad went in.
“Then we screened the plane, passengers, and luggage storage to ensure that there was no bomb on the plane.”
The passenger who triggered the bomb scare has been identified as Saudi man ADA. Further reports have said that ADA has been visited by the Saudi ambassador to Indonesia.
Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Petrus R Golose said ADA and his companions have no connection to the Saudi delegation with King Salman, who is currently in town to have a “relaxing” holiday.
“There is no one from his (King Salman’s) group,” Golose said, as quoted by VIVA.
The runway was closed for one hour, according to a Ngruah Rai Airport spokesman. Eleven Bali flights, seven of which were international, reportedly experienced delays because of the incident.
This isn’t the first time in recent years that someone’s made an ill-advised “joke” in Bali about there being a bomb. Last year a Bali Police officer “joked” about having a bomb in his luggage.
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