A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight bound for Kathmandu was halted just moments before takeoff on Friday at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka after an anonymous phone call had warned of a bomb on board.
The BG-373 (Boeing 737-800) aircraft was scheduled to depart for the Nepal capital at 4:45pm with 142 passengers and 7 crew members, but the flight was halted at about 4:26pm during taxiing, according to a statement of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.
As the aircraft started taxiing on the runway, the control tower received a suspicious call from an unidentified individual, claiming there was a bomb on the plane.
The bomb threat was eventually proved a hoax as more than three hours of search found no explosives or suspicious items on the plane.
ABM Rowshon Kabir, general manager (public relations) of Biman told 抖阴精品, 鈥楿pon receiving the unidentified call, the takeoff was immediately aborted as safety of passengers remains our top priority.鈥�
Soon after the threat, all passengers were safely deboarded and taken to the terminal lounge following security screening, he said.
According to a statement issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, soon after the threat, emergency protocols were activated without delay.
The members of security forces, including the Air Force鈥檚 bomb disposal unit, Aviation Security, Airport Armed Police Battalion, and Rapid Action Battalion鈥檚 explosive experts, cordoned off the aircraft and conducted a thorough search of the cabin and luggage compartments, the statement said.
After an extensive search till 7:58pm, no explosives or suspicious items were found on the plane, said the CAAB statement.
At 8:11pm ABM Rowshon Kabir said, 鈥榳e are now re-boarding passengers and the flight will resume its journey to Kathmandu shortly.鈥�
Airport authorities also said all other takeoffs and landings at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were operating normally and the situation remained fully under control.
