Canadian flight WS323, with 113 passengers on board, was the target of a bomb threat. The flight that originated from Toronto was met by police at its destination in Saskatoon.
What makes this event especially troubling is that it’s the third WestJet flight that was the target of threats in a week. Police said the investigation is continuing. There have been no arrests so far.
Flight 323 landed safely at the airport in the Saskatchewan city on Tuesday night. All passengers and five crew quickly departed the plane using the stairs and then were ushered onto a bus. Police did not find explosives aboard the aircraft.
Robert Palmer, public relations representative for WestJet, told CBC News: “We understand and appreciate the interest in the story. We’ve said all we can say at this point and will leave matters in the hands of police as it is now an active criminal investigation.”
Two other flights experienced threats and made diversions. The first occurred on Saturday, with a WestJet flight that left Halifax bound for Edmonton. After a bomb threat, the flight landed in Saskatoon.
Then, another threat on Monday forced a flight to make an emergency landing and evacuation in Winnipeg. The flight, with a final destination to Toronto, received an unspecified threat. Six passengers were reported to have been injured during an evacuation process. The cause of the injuries was not reported.
In addition to the three threats targeted at WestJet, a fourth threat was found written on a note in an Air Canada airplane lavatory. The airport’s departure area was evacuated for the emergency team to sweep the area. Nothing suspicious was found.
