EasyJet flight grounded in Turkey 'after bomb threat'

Aircraft was delayed overnight

EasyJet passengers were diverted because of a runway closure (Reuters)

An easyJet flight has been grounded in Turkey after an alleged bomb threat.

Flight EZY8844 was due to fly from Dalaman airport to London Gatwick at 1.15pm on Sunday 7 July, but was delayed while police undertook “additional security checks”.

After what Twitter user @ScooterSurrey claimed was a five-hour delay, the flight was eventually cancelled and rescheduled for Monday 8 July.

The passenger shared his experience on Twitter, writing that passengers were “taken off the plane”. Two hours later, he tweeted: “So no word of what’s happening by easyJet plane stuck in middle of the runway and we are stuck in Turkey.”

He claimed the incident was as a result of a “bomb threat”.

An easyJet spokesperson told The Independent: “EasyJet can confirm that police boarded an aircraft prior to departure at Dalaman today at the request of Dalaman Airport security and additional security checks were undertaken.

“The safety and security of its passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority. We would like to thank passengers for their understanding.”

The overnight delay was necessitated by easyJet crew exceeding their legal operating hours after the extra security checks, an airline spokesperson told The Daily Star.

The Independent has contacted Dalaman Airport for comment.