NORAD jet fighters intercepted a Korean Air passenger jet and escorted it to a safe emergency landing at a military base on Vancouver Island in British Columbia after the airline received a bomb threat, officials said Tuesday.
Two F-15 fighter jets escorted the Boeing 777 to 19 Wing Comox on Vancouver Island in British Columbia because of a threat associated with the aircraft, a NORAD spokeswoman said.
The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m ET), said Maj. Holly Apostoliuk of NORAD in Canada.
The F-15s that conducted the intercept were scrambled from Portland, Oregon, she said.
Penny Pfaelzer, a spokeswoman for Korean Air, said the airline received a bomb threat at its Los Angeles call center.
The incident occurred 25 minutes after Flight KE072 took off from Vancouver International Airport, when the U.S. call center received a threat that an explosive was on board the aircraft, she said. "After discussion with the related departments, we decided to turn the aircraft," she said.
The plane landed at Comox, which is 70 miles northwest from Vancouver.
The airline will decide about continuing the flight after discussion with the airport and the related authorities, she said. - http://goo.gl/RwhRx
