The Saudi Arabian Airlines flight had been due to take off in the mid-morning from Madrid but the captain requested an evacuation after a note reading “11:30 bomb” was discovered pinned to the interior.
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RetuersSaudi Arabian Airlines flight SVA 226 is isolated on the tarmac after its passengers and crew were evacuated following a bomb threat, at the Barajas airport in Madrid, Spain, February 4, 2016.
The pilot on a Saudi Airlines flight to Riyadh raised the pre-take off alarm after finding a bomb threat onboard, reports claim.
Aena has said that security forces are making appropriate inquiries at the airport, which remains open – although a spokeswoman said she did not have any details about the nature of the threat.
The message was proved to be a false alarm after a search.
Passengers were told they were leaving the plane because of “technical problems” according to several passengers who spoke to Spanish daily El Mundo.
Cristina Cifuentes, the president of the Madrid region, called for calm and said all those on board had been evacuated safely.
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The alert level for Madrid’s airport was lowered after the passengers disembarked from the jet, which was supposed to fly to Riyadh and the airport was operating normally.
