Turkish Airlines plane makes emergency landing after bomb scare

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

The plane took off on the morning of Jan. 12 from Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport and was bound to Sao Paolo

A Turkish Airlines plane en route to Sao Paolo on Jan. 12 made an emergency landing after an unclaimed laptop was found in the passenger cabin, triggering a bomb threat procedure. 

The plane landed at Morocco’s Casablanca Airport and not in Algeria, as Doğan News Agency had initially reported.

Bomb-dismantling experts are inspecting the A340-type plane for explosives, the report said, adding that the plane had taken off from Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport at 9:30 a.m. local time, with 229 passengers on board.

Turkish Airlines officials said the landing was a standard procedure for such cases, according to private broadcaster NTV.

"The security check is underway in the plane. When completed, it will resume its journey to Sao Paulo," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Istanbul-Sao Paolo is one of Turkish Airlines’ longest flight routes.