Fighter jets escort Scoot flight after bomb scare

SINGAPORE - Two F-15SG fighter jets from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) were scrambled to escort an inbound Scoot flight from Cebu on Sunday (June 2) following a bomb scare.

Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post at 6.15pm that the two jets were sent to escort the plane. The bomb scare was later identified as a hoax.

"The Singapore Armed Forces takes every threat as real and seriously, until proven otherwise. The RSAF will stay ever vigilant," he wrote.

A Scoot spokesman confirmed that there had been a "security threat" on its flight TR385, from Cebu to Singapore.

The threat turned out to be false, and the plane landed safely at Changi Airport at around 4.50pm.

The spokesman said that all 144 passengers and six crew disembarked normally, and were subjected to security checks upon arrival.

He added that the airline would co-operate fully with the authorities in their investigations.

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On March 26, a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Mumbai landed safely at Changi Airport after the pilot raised a bomb threat alert. A woman and child were held back for questioning by the police.

And in October 2018, a 41-year-old man was fined $4,500 after joking that he had a bomb in his bag. He was on a Scoot flight.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.