On October 12, 2023, a Scoot aircraft from Singapore to Perth was forced to make a precautionary return to Singapore Changi Airport after a passenger made a mid-air bomb threat.
The passenger, a 30-year-old Australian man, was arrested by Singapore police shortly after the aircraft landed. He has now been charged with making a false threat to destroy an aircraft and is due to appear in court on October 24, 2023.
The incident caused significant disruption to passengers on board the flight, as well as to the airline’s operations.
Scoot has issued a statement apologizing for the inconvenience to passengers and thanking the authorities for their prompt and efficient response.
What happened on the flight?
The Scoot flight departed Singapore at 10.30am on October 12. About an hour into the flight, a passenger reportedly approached a crew member and made a bomb threat.
The crew member immediately notified the captain, who made the decision to return the aircraft to Singapore as a precaution
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Two F-15SG fighter aircraft were then scrambled to escort the Scoot flight back into Changi Airport. The flight subsequently landed in Singapore at 6.27pm local time, and was isolated for security checks to be carried out.
All passengers and crew were deplaned and the aircraft was searched by security personnel. No explosive devices were found.
The passenger who made the bomb threat was identified and arrested by police. He was charged with criminal intimidation after security checks were completed, according to local news source The Straits Times.
Impact on passengers
The incident caused significant disruption to passengers on board the flight. The flight was delayed by several hours and passengers were inconvenienced by the need to deplane and have their luggage searched.
Scoot has apologized for the inconvenience to passengers and has offered them a full refund. The airline has also offered to rebook passengers on the next available flight to Perth.
Impact on flight operations
According to the aviation regulator Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, one runway was subsequently closed for approximately one hour “to facilitate ground operations.” Eight flight arrivals and six departures experienced delays as a result.
The incident also had a significant impact on Scoot’s operations. The airline was forced to return, causing disruption to airline flight scheduling. Scoot also had to incur the cost of searching the aircraft and rebooking passengers.
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