Flight delayed at Malacca airport after staff overhears word 'bomb'

All it took for a flight to be delayed for hours was the word “bomb” to be heard in an airport.

Such was the case at the Malacca International Airport today, when a counter sales staff overheard the word being said in a conversation between a husband and wife.

Because of the ‘miscommunication’, a commercial flight scheduled to depart for Pekanbaru, Indonesia was delayed for two hours.

The incident led to the police bringing in the bomb squad to conduct checks at the airport, on the aircraft and also the couple’s luggage, but nothing incriminating was found.

Melaka Tengah district police chief, ACP Shaikh Abd Adzis Shaikh Abdullah said the police received a distress call around 10.45am saying there was an individual who had uttered the word “bomb” and wanted to check in at the airport counter.

“Our checks showed that the incident derived from a misunderstanding between the passenger and counter staff. There were no bomb threats. No physical bombs were found, only the word ‘bomb’,” he quipped.

He said after everything was found to be secured, the flight was finally allowed to depart for its destination around 2pm.