Terror threat diverts plane carrying British racing driver

A SCANDANAVIAN AIRLINES (SAS) flight from London to Stockholm was forced to land in Gothenburg’s Landvetter Airport when a mid-air bomb threat was received at 9.50 am on January 22. 

The Boeing 737 was carrying 72 passengers and five crew members when air-traffic controllers raised the alert. 

After expert pilots landed the plane, Gothenburg airport was closed for one hour, with other imminent arrivals forced to circle until the targeted aircraft was searched by forensic experts. 

Tom Onslow-Cole, a champion driver and member of the Airwaves Racing team, was on board. He told The Express that the plane started a fast descent, earlier than expected, but that passengers were informed only that the flight was being diverted to Gothenburg. He and his companions assumed the decision “must be weather related”.

When the flight finally made it to Gothenburg´s snowy runway, there was another announcement stating the diversion was due to “security reasons.”

The 28-year old driver expressed his gratitude for the professional actions of the crew, who, he said “did the right thing by not telling us,” and remained calm throughout.  

Passengers were immediately evacuated upon landing and emergency services took over. Airport authorities have yet to establish the legitimacy of the threat.