Passengers evacuated and flight searched after bomb threat at Zurich Airport

By Jan de Boer

On Monday, passengers on a Helvetic Airways flight from Warsaw were evacuated onto the airstrip at Zurich Airport, in what Swiss police described as a large-scale operation. The evacuation took place after a credible threat was made towards the aircraft, and the emergency services were alerted.

Threat made to Helvetic flight en route to Zurich

According to Kenneth Jones, a spokesperson for the police of Canton Zurich, a threat was received at 11.30am on May 16, targeting LX1343 - the Helvetic Airways flight from Warsaw to Zurich Airport. The plane, which was already en route to Zurich at the time the threat was made, “Landed safely on runway 14 at the airport." 

In a statement, Helvetic Airways confirmed that all passengers and crew were evacuated safely onto the tarmac as per the police's instructions. “Together with the authorities, we [took] all necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and crew members," they said.

Thorough sweep by Swiss police after emergency evacuation

Once all passengers were evacuated, the aircraft was searched by specialists from the cantonal police. No suspicious objects were found in the sweep and police gave the airport the all-clear.

The cantonal authorities released the aircraft sometime later and the plane is now back in service. Zurich Airport noted that despite the size and scale of the operation, there were no delays or disruptions to normal air traffic as a result.

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Jan de Boer

Editor at IamExpat Media

Jan studied History at the University of York and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. Though born in York, Jan has lived most of his life in Zurich and has worked as a journalist, writer and editor since 2016. While he has plunged head-first back into life in Switzerland since returning to the country in 2020, he still enjoys a taste of home at pub quizzes and karaoke nights.Read more

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