Bomb threat disrupts Manila-bound flight at Bacolod-Silay Airport

Security personnel conduct paneling inside a Cebu Pacific aircraft after a bomb threat was sent to a passenger on July 2, Sunday. (Photo from CAAP)

MANILA, Philippines — A bomb threat delayed the departure of a Manila-bound flight from Bacolod-Silay Airport on Sunday, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said on Monday.

In a statement, the CAAP said the bomb threat was received by a Cebu Pacific flight 5J472 passenger via AirDrop — an iOS feature to transfer files via bluetooth — at around 11:39 p.m. on Sunday, July 2.

The passenger immediately notified a flight attendant, who then informed the aircraft’s pilot.

Members of the Philippine National Police Aviation Security and Emergency Unit (PNP AVSEU) promptly responded to the situation.

A passenger receives bomb threat via AirDrop while inside the aircraft. (Photo from CAAP)

Passengers were asked to disembark to allow the AVSEU’s bomb squad to thoroughly inspect the aircraft.

 “The whole security procedure caused the flight to be delayed for two hours,” said CAAP.

 “The flight was able to successfully take off at 02:18 a.m. on July 3, 2023 with 193 passengers on board,” it added.

CAAP assured the public that it continues to coordinate with Cebu Pacific, Manila International Airport Authority and PNP-AVSEU in sharing information about the incident.

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