Virgin Australia Bomb Threat Causes Airplane Evacuation

A bomb threat caused the evacuation of a Virgin Australia plane at Sydney Airport on Thursday morning, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

According to an airline spokesperson, a passenger made the threat as the Sydney to Adelaide flight was preparing for takeoff.

Australian Federal Police were called to the scene, and a 32-year-old woman was arrested. The other 40 passengers were also made to leave the flight and were accommodated on other flights throughout the day.

Authorities could not confirm whether the woman made a bomb threat, however "a full search of the aircraft, including baggage and cargo, was conducted by the AFP's bomb appraisal officer and the canine unit," a federal police spokeswoman told the paper.

"There is no danger to the traveling public," reports news.com.au.

There has been no shortage of bomb scares in the past few months. In January, a bomb threat caused an Etihad flight to divert. That same month, a Turkish Airlines passenger tried to force his way into a cockpit claiming he had a bomb. In April, a bomb threat caused a Thomson Airways flight to make an emergency landing in Athens. And, in June, God apparently told a U.S. Airways passenger, who then told authorities, there was a bomb aboard her flight.

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