Turkish Airlines Basel flight diverted back to Istanbul due to hoax

ISTANBUL

DHA photo

A Turkish Airlines (THY) plane flying from Istanbul to Basel was diverted as an emergency measure on April 17 in the third bomb scare on a THY flight in less than a month.

The plane changed its route and returned while in Bulgarian airspace to return to Istanbul Atatürk Airport, according to Doğan News Agency.

The airline said Flight TK1923 with 151 people on board landed safely in Istanbul to be searched. The note found in the plane's toilet, warning about a "bomb," turned out to be a hoax.

Turkish Airlines says it is standard procedure to make emergency landings under such circumstances.

On March 30, another THY plane traveling from Istanbul to Sao Paulo made an emergency landing in Casablanca. A search of the Boeing 777-300ER plane bound for Brazil determined that the threat was a hoax, allowing the plane to subsequently continue on its route, the company added.

Similarly, a Turkish Airlines (THY) plane flying from Istanbul to Portugal returned to Istanbul Atatürk Airport on April 1 after a bomb threat, which later turned out to be another hoax.