Muscat: An Oman Air flight to Kuala Lumpur was called back midway when a passenger claimed that he had received a call about a bomb on board the aircraft.
The 9.50am flight to Kuala Lumpur left Muscat International Airport at 9.50am on Tuesday morning but according to a source at the Muscat International Airport, the aircraft was turned back when it was flying somewhere between Oman and Pakistan.
A passenger informed the crew that he got a call about a bomb in the flight. No one from Oman Air was available to give exact details on how the passenger received an in-flight call.
The aircraft was brought back to Muscat International Airport and a thorough check revealed that it was a hoax call.
An operator at the airport flight information service said the flight was scheduled to take off again at 3.45pm but had not taken off until 5pm.
This is the fourth time in the last four months that the Muscat International Airport has had to deal with similar incidents.
Last February, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane, with 108 passengers, crash landed when the rear landing gear (rear tyre) on the left of the aircraft broke down.
Last month, a false fire alarm forced a Saudi Airline aircraft to make an emergency landing at the Muscat International Airport.
And just ten days ago, a private Bangladesh airline aircraft with 133 passengers and about 10 members of the crew had a tyre burst but no one was hurt in the incident.
The Muscat International Airport has been undergoing massive expansion, including a new runway and a new terminal building, since 2006 but work has continuously been delayed. The government now hopes to complete it by next year.
