A Turkish Airlines plane from Nairobi to Cairo, Egypt was on Friday forced to make an emergency landing in Khartoum, Sudan, after a passenger reported that a bomb was on board, according to Sudanese aviation officials.
Turkish Airlines flight 606 had 107 passengers on board when it left the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for Cairo.
Sudan's Civil Aviation Authority Spokesman Abdelhafiz Abdelrahim told AFP that the pilot informed Khartoum Airport once he was already in Sudan's airspace that he needed to make an emergency landing.
He clarified that once the plane landed, security officers searched the plane but did not find anything incriminating.
Mr Abdelrahim stated: "Turkish Airlines flight 606 made an emergency landing after a passenger on board said he received an e-mail saying there was a bomb on board.
[caption caption="A section of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)"]
[/caption]
"The plane is now in an isolated area of the airport. Security officials searched the plane and passengers' luggage but didn't find anything suspicious," he added.
Mr Abdelrahim further noted that all 107 passengers had been safely evacuated.
He noted that Khartoum Airport had not been closed, contrary to some reports.
Mr Abdelrahim also divulged that officials were interrogating the British passenger who reported the threat.
The Boeing 738 aircraft was carrying passengers of different nationalities.
When reached for comment by Kenyans.co.ke, Turkish Airlines stated that it was looking into the matter and would issue a statement once they had all the information, further noting that it was a sensitive issue.
Security officials at the JKIA told Kenyans.co.ke that they would be in contact with their counterparts from Khartoum Airport to assess the situation before releasing any information.
[caption caption="A section of Khartoum Airport"]
[/caption]
