Singapore scrambles two fighter jets after bomb threat on Air India Express flight
Oct 16, 2024
Singapore, October 16 : Singapore Air Force (RSAF) scrambled F-15SG jets on Tuesday night following a bomb threat on an Air India Express flight, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported.
Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said that the airlines had received an email that there was a bomb on board flight AXB684 that was heading to Singapore.
Two RSAF F-15SGs were scrambled and escorted the plane away from populated areas to finally land safely at Singapore Changi Airport at around 10:04 pm on Tuesday, the minister said.
In a series of posts on X, Ng Eng Hen stated, "Air India Express received an email that there was a bomb on board flight AXB684 that was bound for Singapore. Two of our RSAF F-15SGs scrambled and escorted the plane away from populated areas, to finally land safely at Singapore Changi Airport at around 10:04 pm tonight."
"Our Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) systems and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) were also activated. Once on the ground, the plane was handed to the Airport Police. Investigations are ongoing," he further said.
Expressing gratitude to the Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team for their dedication, Ng Eng Hen in a post on X said, "Many thanks to the dedication and professionalism of our Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team that keep us safe in our homes, even when threats exist around us."
In response to a question from CNA, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said it was alerted about the bomb threat at about 8:25 pm (local time). "The plane landed safely at Changi Airport at about 10:04 pm, under the escort of RSAF fighter aircraft," it further said.
The SPF said that the police conducted complete security checks thereafter and added, "no threat items were found," CNA reported.
It further said, "The police take security threats seriously and will not hesitate to take action against those who intentionally cause public alarm," the report said.
According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, Flight AXB684 took off from Madurai at about 1:54 pm and was due to arrive in Singapore at about 8:50 pm.
