Bomb hoax at NAIA slightly delays takeoff of US jetliner

By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Ninoy Aquino International Airport INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – A bomb threat believed to have come from within the Ninoy Aquino International Airport complex sent police teams sweeping through a US-bound jumbo jet before dawn Saturday, nearly five hours before its scheduled flight.

Delta Airlines flight DL-172 bound for New York with a stopover in Narita, Japan, took off after a slight delay at 8:21 a.m. after police declared the Boeing 747 clear of any threat, a report from the Manila International Airport Authority said.

The plane was originally scheduled for takeoff at 7:55 a.m. Passengers boarded the aircraft without incident, but additional bomb-sniffing dogs were placed at the Delta Airlines’ check-in counter, departure gate and the airport ramp.

Information from the MIAA said personnel manning baggage conveyors at NAIA Terminal 1′s arrival hall received a call at 3 a.m. Saturday saying the Delta aircraft “will explode at 5 a.m.”

The caller spoke in Filipino and used a local line, indicating that the call was made from within the NAIA complex, said an MIAA source who requested anonimity for lack of authority to speak on the matter. A check of MIAA’s phone system showed that no such call came through the trunkline.

The caller made two calls, 10 minutes apart, said the source, who was at NAIA 1 at the time and was privy to police response to the threat.