7/10/08

Scarry thoughts




Son#2 was on the way back from UK yesterday. He was flying on Emirates Airlines via Manchester- Dubai- Singapore- Kuala Lumpur.
I was checking the Dubai Airport flight information , Changi Airport flight information and also KLIA Airport informtion constantly to get his flight info online. Late last night when I checked Singapore Airport information, I found that his flight was delayed for a good 3 hours. I was telling hubby that it is very unusual for Emirates flight to be delayed. Hubby was also a bit worried after he heard the news that Iran was testing 6 of their missiles yesterday.

Worried and with much thoughts I went to sleep then woke up and checked the online info again at 4 am and found that Emirates had departed from Changi Airport at 2.11 am this morning instead of 22.55pm last night. From the info online , at least I know that he and his girl friend are safely on the flight home.

Only this morning when I rang him he told me why the flight was seriously delayed. And on further checking online I found this news:

Drunk man causes bomb scare on flight
By Alia Al Theeb, Staff Reporter
Last updated: July 09, 2008, 10:46

Dubai: A drunken British passenger triggered a bomb scare on an Emirates flight from Manchester to Dubai yesterday, Dubai airport sources told Gulf News.

The British male was "extremely drunk" and was taken into custody for questioning, said police. Airport sources said the passenger had an argument with a stewardess and told her that a bomb was hidden in the aircraft, which turned out to be hoax. The stewardess immediately informed the pilot who alerted the airport control tower, said the sources.

All passengers were evacuated from the plane upon landing and the aircraft was searched thoroughly, they said.

"Dubai airport officials alerted security officials who took all necessary precautionary measures. There was a bomb hoax and we took all safety measures to ensure that there was no untoward incident," a police officer at Dubai airport told Gulf News.

A passenger who sat next to the inebriated man said he was was unruly.

"I was on the flight sitting next to this passenger. He was initially just a rowdy drunk, not someone who would seem threatening in a pub but on a plane it is completely different. The staff were great and the security response was hugely reassuring," he wrote in to Gulf News.

An Emirates spokesperson said: "We can confirm there was an incident involving a passenger aboard EK20 from Manchester [yesterday] after it had landed safely in Dubai. The captain immediately alerted the Department of Civil Aviation who took charge of the situation. The passenger is now in police custody.

"The safety of the aircraft was at no time compromised, however, Emirates takes such incidents very seriously and will not tolerate disruptive passengers on board our aircraft."

A passenger on the Indian airlines, who witnessed a similar scare on his flight to Mumbai, said reactions were very different.

"The same thing happened a few days ago to the Indian airlines flight to Mumbai. But there was no evacuation or anything of the sort. Is this happening too often? And why was serious action taken only for the flight [from] England?" he said.

- Inputs by Emmanuelle Landais, Staff Reporter
As parents we are always worried for our children safety when they are on long haul flight..

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