Kuwaiti plane departs from Turkey after bomb threat landing

TRABZON, Turkey

A Kuwaiti passenger plane that made an emergency landing in Turkey due to a bomb threat departed for Kuwait after all checks were completed, authorities said on Thursday.

The Jazeera Airways flight with 51 passengers and six crew members landed in Trabzon at around 11:18 a.m. (0818GMT), according to Ismail Ustaoglu, governor of the Black Sea province.

Turkish forces safely evacuated all passengers and conducted a thorough search of the aircraft and luggage, he told reporters.

No explosives were found and the plane was allowed to leave for Kuwait, the official said.

Ustaoglu said Turkish forces took extensive security measures inside and outside the Trabzon airport, with bomb disposal teams using sniffer dogs and high-tech equipment to thoroughly comb the premises.

Jazeera Airways also announced on Twitter that “all operations are now back to normal.”

The Kuwaiti airlines earlier said it received “a communication indicating a potential security situation.”

“This communication was evaluated and deemed to be not credible,” the carrier said on Twitter, but added that all flights were “provided with additional screening measures as a precaution.”

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara