Germanwings plane evacuated amid bomb threat

Milan-bound Airbus evacuated at Cologne-Bonn airport after German police receive bomb threat against flight.

GERMANY-FRANCE-SPAIN-AVIATION-ACCIDENT
The airline said the threat against flight 826 to Milan's Malpensa airport was received by federal police [File: AFP]

Germanwings says a plane headed for Milan has been evacuated at Cologne-Bonn airport after German police received a bomb threat against the flight.

The airline said the threat against flight 826 to Milan’s Malpensa airport was received by federal police on Sunday evening.

The tower in Cologne alerted the pilot of the Airbus A320, which was taxiing towards the runway at the time.

The pilot took the plane to a position at the airport that is foreseen for such cases, where the passengers and crew left the aircraft. 

Federal police said sniffer dogs found no sign of explosives, news agency dpa reported. The threat was emailed to the airport 15 minutes before the plane’s scheduled departure, prompting police to set the necessary measures in motion.

Germanwings planned to fly the passengers to Milan on another plane.

Source: AP