Emergency Landing After Aeroflot Bomb Threat

A commercial airliner flying between the US and Russia has carried out an emergency landing following a mid-air bomb threat, officials have said.

Operated by Russian national carrier Aeroflot, the Airbus A330 aircraft touched down at Iceland's Keflavik International Airport based on information that more than one explosive device had been smuggled inside.

With a total of 256 people on board, a safe landing was performed and, as this article was being written, a thorough search was being undertaken.

Aeroflot Bomb Threat

The Aeroflot bomb threat information was supplied during a phone call and, apparently, it mentioned explosive material present in five suitcases. The anonymous caller added that a series of explosions had been timed to coincide with the Airbus A330's arrival in Moscow.

"There was an anonymous call saying that there was an explosive device on the plane, which was already in the air", Aeroflot's Irina Dannenberg told reporters. "The pilot took the decision to land the plane and it landed safely. A search is being conducted."

Emergency Airport Landing

"The bomb threat was made sometime earlier in the morning and at 5:30 am British time the plane decided to head for Keflavik", Fridthor Eydal explained after the emergency airport landing in Iceland, adding: "The aeroplane landed safely at 6:27 am".

Originally established in the 1920s, Aeroflot is among the world's oldest carriers. In recent years, it's been exchanging its fleet of older Soviet airliners for much more up-to-date Eastern and Western designs, with its Airbus A330s among the latter. 19 Airbus A330s serve Aeroflot - a mixture of -200 and -300 series models.

In related news, another Russian aircraft bomb threat emerged yesterday, this time in relation to an airliner scheduled to fly between Voronezh and Moscow. Russian Special Forces arrived on the scene and carried out a full search, with no explosive materials ultimately found.

Image copyright ‘skinnylawyer' - Courtesy Wikimedia Commons