Fighter Jets Escort Singapore Airlines Flight From San Francisco 'Till It Landed Safely' After Hoax Bomb Threat

A Singapore Airlines flight was escorted by fighter jets after a passenger made a false claim of a bomb in his carry-on bag and assaulted the crew. 

What Happened: On Wednesday, a 37-year-old passenger on Singapore Airlines Flight 33 from San Francisco was arrested under anti-terrorism laws for making false bomb threats and suspected consumption of controlled drugs, according to the city-state’s Police Force, Bloomberg reported.

After the bomb threats, the flight was escorted by two F16s of the Republic of Singapore Air Force and landed safely at Changi Airport.

“Earlier today, two of our F16C/Ds were activated to escort a Singapore Airlines flight, SQ33, that departed San Francisco for Singapore. This was because of a suspected bomb threat onboard the aircraft. Our fighters escorted the airliner till it landed safely at Changi Airport,” RSAF said in a statement. 

This morning, a group of RSAF personnel, comprising regulars, NSmen and NSFs, were activated at short notice in response to a suspected bomb threat onboard a Singapore Airlines flight, SQ33.

Team RSAF responded swiftly and decisively to ensure our skies are protected, always. pic.twitter.com/gEDDThNnj4

— The RSAF (@TheRSAF) September 28, 2022

Singapore Airlines, in a separate statement, said on landing, the aircraft was taken to a remote bay for security checks and was later towed to the airport terminal, according to the Bloomberg report. All passengers and crew disembarked normally, it added.

Why It's Important: Hoax bomb threats are very common in civil aviation. However, air force jets are usually sent when the crew onboard doesn’t respond to commands from ground handlers or an aircraft diverts from its approved route.

An EasyJet flight to Spain was escorted by a fighter jet earlier in July after a British teenager posted a bomb threat on social media.

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