A Saudi Airlines flight carrying 442 Hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia was diverted on Tuesday after authorities received a bomb threat via email, according to Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
The threat was sent at 7:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) through an anonymous email, claiming an intention to “blow up” Flight SV 5276, which was en route from Jeddah to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
In response, the pilot altered the flight path, landing the aircraft safely at Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, shortly after 10:00 a.m.
The flight was transporting 207 male and 235 female Hajj pilgrims returning from the annual pilgrimage in Mecca.
“Upon assessing the potential threat to safety and security, the pilot chose to reroute to the nearest suitable airport,” said InJourney Airports, Indonesia’s state airport operator.
Following the emergency landing, the passengers were safely evacuated, and a bomb squad conducted a full inspection of the aircraft. As of the latest update, the plane remained grounded in Medan, according to the transport ministry and flight tracking data from Flightradar24.
Authorities have not identified the sender of the threat, and an investigation is ongoing.
