Possible threat on FlySafair flight sees bomb squad called to Cape Town airport

The police bomb squad was deployed to Cape Town International Airport on Thursday night after it was alerted to a possible security threat, causing anxiety for passengers who had boarded a plane for a scheduled flight.

The Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) said the alarm was raised by crew members on a FlySafair aircraft due to depart for OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. 

"The security threat on FlySafair FA102 was managed by police and relevant law enforcement agencies. Acsa can confirm airport and airline management was at the scene to ensure full compliance with all aviation safety and security protocols required by law."

Passengers and crew disembarked for a thorough sweep of the aircraft.

Acsa regional manager Mark Maclean, said: "Police together with the aviation security (AVSEC) team has ensured all the necessary measures are in place to mitigate any risks associated with this threat. We would like to praise the airline for its prompt response to what was a serious security concern, and we also laud the combined efforts of the police and AVSEC in upholding the safety and security of passengers and cabin crew."

Passengers said they had been contained on the plane for hours while the search was carried out:

Passenger Tony Gaffane told Safm they had already boarded the plane when they were told there were "operational issues" that needed to be attended to. After four hours, they were disembarked and escorted to a different aircraft. This was when they realised there had been a bomb threat, he said.

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