VS bomb threat - divert STN
 

The BBC are reporting that a VS aircraft ex HKG has diverted to Stansted due to a bomb threat. Reported as having landed safely at about 0530 UK time with 233 pax on board.

Hmmm. Seems to be coming more and more common. I pray that its not a "Cry Wolf" situation, softening response to these warnings. I wonder if the warning was phoned into a newspaper like the other ones.

I hope they catch the hoaxers (i use this word carefully) and cut their balls off.:eek:

I hope they catch the hoaxers (i use this word carefully) and cut their balls off.


The question is IK, how do you know they are male????:D
Whoever they are, I wish them great pain throughout their sad existence, and multiple delays on any journeys they go on.

To top it all the Police have asked and been granted BA staff to go from LHR to STN to unload it as needless to say STN staff have refused to service it.

Hanging is too good for them. Male or Female.
At this time, when the industry is slowly getting back on it's feet, bombscares like this are not only alarming to the public, but potentially crippling to airlines (assuming they are hoaxes).
It could just be a couple of spotty 13 year old Herberts thinking it's a "great laugh" or "really cool".
The first line of my post still applies.

Why would BA staff do a Virgin job?

The Sky newsreader has just said" The transatlantic jet flying from Hong Kong to Heathrow,"......I suppose if you are used to getting the facts right you aren't suitable for work for the media....

____________________________________________________
Hmmm. Seems to be coming more and more common. I pray that its not a "Cry Wolf" situation, softening response to these warnings. I wonder if the warning was phoned into a newspaper like the other ones.
____________________________________________________

I live close to the QRA station, I heard them go up this morning and on the previous occasion (athens flight). Noise abatement is not on the list of priorities, so I would gather any such threat will get treated very seriously. It would be insane to disregard the warnings, hoax or otherwise.

Why won't STN people service it??

No A340 qualified people here at STN, we never get these a/c in normally.

maybe because it had just landed with a suspected bomb on board might have something to do with it

or because they don\'t usually have A340 a/c landing there.

Said aircraft (G-VFOX) being towed Northside to Southside as we speak, must be ready to head back to LHR shortly.

Wandered what all the fighter activity above my house in cambridgeshire was at 05.10L was this morning.

What rubbish, at least one handling agent is fully qualified to deal with all aircraft types at any time of day or night, in fact they dealt with a number of A340's a few weeks ago when the fuellers went on strike at LHR.

The reason nobody will handle these "threat" aircraft is that the handling agents insurance company cannot and will not cover the costs involved if something did happen to any of it's staff.

Also under the health and safety at work act employers have a responsibilty for the safety and well being of their staff, I hardly thing asking blokes to go and offlaod bags with possible bombs in them is a reasonable request, and therefore the guys would be perfectly withing their rights to say "on yer bike" which is what happend last time when the Olympic arrived (hence the reason for the delay to the steps as discussed in another post) this was eventually offloaded by managers.

Since then it has been made perfectly clear by the powers that be that under no circumstances should handling agents get involved in anything to do with these situations until the police, army, SAS or whoever is in charge has declared it perfectly safe, and even then they still don't have to deal with it.

Please take the the time to read posts before you fire off - the question was why won't STN people service it, not unload it. We are talking different issues here.

Servicing, unloading bags, refuelling, toilet dumping etc etc is all the same thing.

We are only covered by insurance if it is one of our own a/c, even then it is a voluntary act if we were to go to the a/c until declared safe, and no action can be taken against us if we choose not to. We handle 3rd party airlines and are therefore not covered by insurance if something does happen so quite understandable if nobody comes fwd until the incident is declared safe.

Sounds maybe a little bit stupid but why did they divert to STN?

LHR is not that far away and I assume better prepared for such damm occurances?

I think STN is the UK's designated airport for any terrorist/hijacker related diverts?

Flyingphil,

STN is fully equip for these type of events. There is a police anti terrorist squad based just down the road.

LHR would be out of the question, flying over London with a suspect bomb on board? I don't think so!

:ok:

Ah soo its different from Germany where crazy people can fly over big cities with hijacked pipers without getting shot
and where airliners diverting due to bomb-threads or hijacking approach via downtown to the next rwy.

Thanx for the replies that makes sense!