Bomb threat diverts flight

www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au 12jan03

A BOMB threat forced a Dutch airline KLM flight from Amsterdam to the Netherlands Antilles to divert to Paris, the airline and airport authorities said.

The passengers and crew were evacuated after the flight landed at Paris' Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport. There, the McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 jet was being searched with police dogs and luggage was being inspected, the Paris Airports authority said.

The plane was flying to the Dutch island of Aruba, in the Caribbean off the north coast of Venezuela.

About half an hour into the flight, a passenger unfolded his table and found a sign that said there was a bomb on board, said Bart Koster, a KLM spokesman.

Charles de Gaulle was the closest airport.

"So far we have no reason to think there really is something on board, but we'll have to await the results of the investigation," he said.

He said the plane was carrying 252 passengers and 13 crew. Paris Airports said there were 273 people aboard. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

Crew and passengers were housed in a hotel and the flight was expected to continue on to Aruba tomorrow, he said.