A British passenger jet has been diverted to Brindisi airport in southern Italy after a bomb scare.
The alarm was raised when a passenger found a note on a sick bag saying there was an explosive device on board.
The Boeing 767 was in mid-flight from Gatwick to Hurghada in Egypt at the time.
The pilot contacted air traffic controllers in Zagreb, who ordered him to Brindisi.
He landed the plane without incident and the 269 passengers and crew disembarked safely.
An Excel flight at Gatwick Anti-terrorist units carried out a search of the Boeing but there was no sign of a bomb.
Italy's air force says it scrambled a F-16 fighter to intercept the jet before it landed.
The Boeing is operated by budget airline Excel which said it was diverted as a "precautionary measure".
"It is all over," said a spokeswoman for Excel. "Once it is all cleared the passengers are going back onto the aircraft and it will resume its journey."
The emergency comes after UK police foiled an alleged bomb plot to blow up US-bound flights from Britain.
Source: www.skynews.co.uk
The alarm was raised when a passenger found a note on a sick bag saying there was an explosive device on board.
The Boeing 767 was in mid-flight from Gatwick to Hurghada in Egypt at the time.
The pilot contacted air traffic controllers in Zagreb, who ordered him to Brindisi.
He landed the plane without incident and the 269 passengers and crew disembarked safely.
An Excel flight at Gatwick Anti-terrorist units carried out a search of the Boeing but there was no sign of a bomb.
Italy's air force says it scrambled a F-16 fighter to intercept the jet before it landed.
The Boeing is operated by budget airline Excel which said it was diverted as a "precautionary measure".
"It is all over," said a spokeswoman for Excel. "Once it is all cleared the passengers are going back onto the aircraft and it will resume its journey."
The emergency comes after UK police foiled an alleged bomb plot to blow up US-bound flights from Britain.
Source: www.skynews.co.uk
