Dubai: An Emirates flight to Dubai was held up for four hours at the Mumbai international airport on Sunday after an anonymous caller warned of suspected militants on board, the airline and airport officials said.
A couple aboard flight EK 505 were detained for questioning by airport police following the terror scare. But Indian television channels later reported that the call came from the couple's son, who was apparently unhappy over his father's second marriage.
The flight from Mumbai was taxiing for take-off shortly before 10am when the caller warned airline officials of a suspected militant occupying seat F17.
Baggage check
The take-off was aborted and the plane was sent to the isolation bay, and all 356 passengers and their baggage were checked again.
"Emirates can confirm that its flight EK 505 was called back by Mumbai's air traffic control (ATC) before departure. A male passenger and his wife have been handed over to Mumbai police authorities for questioning," the spokesperson said in a statement.
"The flight was delayed for around four hours as security procedures were activated including the deplaning of passengers and a thorough screening of the aircraft, passengers and baggage."
Ready for take-off
A spokesperson for Mumbai airport confirmed the detention of a husband and wife and said: "The ATC received a call saying there were three terrorists onboard… When the information was conveyed to the airport authorities, the flight was already rolling for the runway at 0956 hours. Action was immediately taken," the spokesperson told Gulf News, adding that investigations were under way.
Airport officials said the caller gave the name of one of the suspected militants as Shahbaz Khan.
The NDTV news channel reported that Khan lives in south Mumbai and has even contested local elections as an independent candidate.
