A bomb threat led to the evacuation of an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight on September 15. According to Simple Flying, the incident affected flight AR1484 aboard a Boeing 737 MAX 8 departing Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery Airfield bound for Tucumán International Airport.
What we know:
A passenger on the aircraft appeared to be “visibly offended by some situation with the company,” according to the Argentine newspaper Clarin.
Upon being notified that his luggage was noncompliant with regulations and would need to be checked, the man gave his bag up to be stored below the plane.
A scary set of events:
The man began yelling, stating that he had a bomb in his luggage. Safety protocols were immediately activated and Airport Security Police deployed the Special Group for the Control of Explosives and Special Weapons to remove the passenger from the aircraft.
The plane was also moved to a safe location and all 172 passengers were evacuated, leading to the flight being delayed by three hours.
False alarm:
After searching the man’s luggage it was determined that it did not contain explosives. The man was arrested by the Argentine police and banned from flying with Aerolíneas Argentinas for life.
Considered by Argentina‘s penal code to be an act of public intimidation, the airline said it will punish and never tolerate behavior that is disruptive, that poses a safety threat, or that affects flight operations.
Added to the ‘No fly list’
“The passenger will be included in the so-called ‘watch list’ of disruptive passengers and, therefore, suspended from flying on Aerolíneas Argentinas flights,” said the airline.
In July of last year, an Aerolíneas flight en route to Ushuaia International Airport experienced a mid-flight bomb threat via a 911 call. The aircraft was forced to land in Comodoro Rivadavia, where airport police searched it, finding nothing. The flight was delayed nine hours.
Related: Woman Stages Fake Bomb Threat At Florida Airport After Showing Up Late For Flight
