An Azores Airlines flight from Ponta Delgada to Bilbao diverted to Lisbon due to a bomb threat.
Azores Airlines flight S4504 departed Ponta Delgada more than one hour late at 09:37 AZOST to Bilbao in Spain.
The Airbus A320neo (registration CS-TSM) diverted to Lisbon Airport after 2 hours and 20 minutes into the flight where it landed safely around 1:00 p.m.
Passengers have been told that the plane had been diverted after landing in Lisbon due to a “high threat to the aircraft.” Nearly an hour passed with no further updates while the aircraft was parked on a taxiway.
Police officers from the Polícia Judiciária boarded the plane after about an hour. They detained two passengers and questioned a third, who was seated separately. They collected the detained passengers’ belongings and also removed trash from the lavatories.
The officers were tense and shouted at passengers who tried to stand or film the situation.
Eventually, they decided that passengers would disembark in small groups, bringing all luggages. Each group’s luggage was inspected by K9s outside before being allowed to proceed to the buses that took us to the terminal.
The airport continued to operate with apparent normality, despite a large police presence. The authorities said it was a false alarm, after a rigorous inspection of the aircraft and baggage.
In a statement, the Azorean airline confirmed that after the captain activated the security protocol, the flight was diverted to Lisbon, landed safely and was directed “to an isolated and secure area, so that passengers and crew could disembark in a calm and safe manner.”
The two detained passengers were taken away by Polícia Judiciária officers.
