SYDNEY, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers conducted security checks on passengers aboard an international flight from Tokyo to Sydney after threats were sent to Sydney Airport.
Local media 7NEWS reported on Friday that the All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight NH889 departed from Tokyo's Haneda Airport and landed at Sydney Airport on Thursday evening.
The aircraft was held at an isolated section of the tarmac for more than an hour before being surrounded by AFP officers, airport security personnel and aviation fire and rescue crews. Passengers were reportedly required to undergo checks by bomb detector dogs and wait for the aircraft to be fully inspected.
Officers also conducted additional checks of luggage before passengers were allowed to leave the airport.
7NEWS quoted an AFP spokesperson as saying that officers had conducted a precautionary search of the aircraft and its passengers after threats were sent to the airport just after 6 p.m. local time on Thursday. The airport and aircraft were subsequently cleared to resume normal operations.
Authorities have not confirmed whether the security incident in Sydney was linked to a wave of threats targeting European aviation, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. ■
