Manchester Airport: bomb threat email on Emirates Dubai flight which closed airport was apparent hoax

No device was found on an Emirates flight from Dubai which landed at Manchester Airport after Greater Manchester Police were made aware of a bomb threat email, which led to the airport being closed and flights grounded.

The Emirates' Airbus A380 from Dubai landed on the tarmac at around 7.20pm yesterday evening (17 October). The flight was then held as officers assessed the aircraft for the presence of explosive devices. A spokesperson from Emirates said: "Emirates crew and ground teams co-operated fully with the authorities. After the local authorities cleared the aircraft, it proceeded to the gate where passengers disembarked as normal." 

It has now been claimed that the incident may have been a hoax, with police confirming that no suspicious devices were found on-board despite the threat in the email. In a statement, police said: "Greater Manchester Police were made aware of an email claiming there was a suspicious package on a flight. The aircraft had landed at Manchester Airport and was held for further assessment.

"Searches and security checks have been completed, and no suspicious items have so far been found. Passengers have now disembarked the aircraft with extra officers on hand to answer any questions and offer visible reassurance. No arrests have been made at this stage."

Flights including three from Palma in Spain, Paphos in Cyprus and London Heathrow were diverted during the closure of the airport. The Dubai return flight, which was flown using the same Airbus A380, took off after a two-and-a-half hour delay due to the additional security checks. Around 500 people were expected to miss connections as a result of the delay.

It comes after a similar situation saw a Kenyan Airways flight flying from Nairobi to London Heathrow diverted to Stansted Airport, escorted by an RAF Typhoon jet, on Thursday 12 October. A bomb threat was made to the airline's headquarters but no suspicious device was found on-board.