Bomb threat diverts plane to Stansted under military escort

A BOMB threat forced a passenger plane to divert to a British airport under military escort for an emergency landing yesterday.

The Olympic Airways flight from Athens to New York's JFK airport was carrying 301 passengers when it was re-routed to Stansted in Essex as a 'full emergency'.

The alert came after a Greek daily newspaper, Ethnos, received the telephone warning.

Police sources in Greece said authorities immediately notified the pilot, who asked for a military escort.

All passengers were evacuated safely following the landing and the plane was searched.

A spokeswoman for the airport said: "Olympic Airways flight 411 from Athens to JFK was diverted into Stansted on a full emergency.

"It landed safely at 3.30pm. There were 301 passengers on board, all of whom have been evacuated safely.

"There was a bomb threat to the aircraft received by a Greek newspaper in Athens so the aircraft on full emergency diverted to Stansted."

RAF planes escorted the flight and a ministry of defence spokesman said: "A number of RAF planes were sent to the civil aircraft to Stansted airport at the request of civilian authorities."

The jets later returned to their base.

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: "It is not believed to be anything out of the ordinary at this stage.

"These are rehearsed procedures which have swung into action. Fortunately nothing has exploded, if indeed there was a bomb on board, but we take all threats seriously."

Olympic Airways chief executive Leonard Vlamisof said: "We were told to land at Stansted which it did safely.

"The passengers are in Stansted airport right now.

"They are all OK."

He said they had outlined their 'strict' security measures to the authorities, which included screening all passengers and baggage and checking the aircraft by police and sniffer dogs.

According to a tape the Ethnos newspaper made available to journalists, the caller said: "Flight 411 Olympic for America has a bomb for Iraq."

In a second call, a voice that sounded like a different person said: "Are you listening? Flight 411 Olympic for America, bomb. America will see. Six o'clock message for you."