An Australian man has reportedly been arrested after a bomb threat forced a passenger plane bound for Perth to turn around and return to Singapore under fighter jet escort.
The Scoot budget airline flight TR16 left Singapore’s Changi Airport at 4.10pm local time (7.11pm AEDT) yesterday heading for the Western Australia capital.
About 40 minutes into the flight a bomb threat was allegedly made mid-air.
Flight tracking data showed how the Dreamliner 787 plane circled several times off the Singapore coast before heading back.
Singapore Dfence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post that two F-15SG fighter planes were scrambled to escort the Scoot flight back to Changi Airport.
The plane landed safely at about 6.30pm Singapore time (9.30pm AEDT) and the aircraft was boarded by security personnel.
One runway was closed and several incoming flights were delayed during the operation, local media reports.
Two people were escorted off the Scoot plane by police.
An Australian man aged 30 was arrested for criminal intimidation, Reuters reports.
Police investigations are continuing.
(9 News)
