Plane Bomb Hoax

To think that someone who seemed perfectly normal, but who actually had mental health issues, was on board a long haul flight is still pretty scary, bomb hoax or not. The guy could have run amok on the plane at 35,000 ft. We can all be searched from head to foot for weapons, liquids, explosives etc before boarding, but you never know what the person sitting next to you is capable of - very scary!

My daughters plane was 2 hours delayed coming in from Crete last night because of the emergency.

Yes, Stansgran. If the plane had suddenly changed course that would most likely have been the outcome.

It would have shot the plane down if it looked as though it had been taken over and used as a flying bomb by terrorists.

Heard on the news that the chap has been Sectioned!

I could not understand quite what the RAF fighter was supposed to do if there had been a bomb on board. It just seemed a bit like showing that something "was being done". What was the point of it? Can anyone explain?

How lucky we are, to live in a country that can mobilise services/RAF in a situation like this. It's good to read that the individual who caused the situation is being treated in a mental health facility. The passengers had reported he seemed 'normal', it's good to see those investigating recognised his mental health problems.

9 flights were diverted to other airports so there was expense and inconvenience there. But given what we now know, it seems that this may just have to be ' one of those things'

I don't suppose the expense will be all that bad. The plane was not diverted as it was flying into Manchester anyway.

I expect the RAF will regard it as a good training exercise for the QRA squadron. During the cold war they were frequently sent up from RAF Leuchars to tail Russian 'Bears'. Not so much call for that now.

A shock for the passengers though...and the poor crew.

I see on the BBC website headlines that he has been sectioned, which makes it seem a bit more understandable than just pure stupidity or badness, poor soul. So sorry for the other passengers though, and what an expense for everyone.

We were on a flight from Canada with someone who hadn't told them she was ill. First we heard was, bi g bong, is there a doctor on board? We landed on Baffin Island. The pilot was at great pains to explain our predicament and how much it had cost.
I hope, if it were a prank, that the proverbial book is thrown. And if not, three cheers for the safe landing. And the book is thrown as well.

I was out for a walk and it was right overhead as they were coming down!

OH thankx for that MERLOT.

Nonu. The Quatar Airways plane was flying to Manchester Airport from Doha.

Presumably in this country?
No-one has actually said where it happened !

We watched it live on the BBC News channel. The man on the plane who contacted the BBC with the photos from the plane window only found out what was going on by reading comments on Twitter from people who had heard the breaking news!!

What a horrible shock to discover it's happening to you

Three cheers for the RAF QRA from RAF Coningsby.

It is unbelievable the amount of money that has been spent because this idiot probably thought that it was funny. A while in prison, and not an open one, and when he eventually goes back to work, (if he has a job) he pays a % of his salary each month towards the horrendous cost.