http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21414028.htm
Venezuela flight rescheduled after bomb warning
21 Apr 2008 11:45:52 GMT
Source: Reuters
CARACAS, April 21 (Reuters) - Spain's Air Europa rescheduled a flight on Monday in Venezuela after a telephoned bomb warning prompted a search of one of its planes as it was set to take off for Madrid.
Xiomara Marin, a manager with the privately owned airline, said authorities did not announce if they had found explosives aboard the jet in the search late on Sunday, Venezuelan television station Globovision reported.
But she said the airline was given permission to fly its passengers to Spain later on Monday from the airport -- Venezuela's largest, just outside the capital of Caracas.
The passengers were moved off the plane as it sat on the tarmac and their luggage was searched while vehicles with red lights flashing surrounded the airliner in the dark.
Flight disruptions due to bomb threats are relatively rare in Venezuela. In the last major incident, the main airport on the country's Caribbean tourist island of Margarita was shut down and cordoned off for a few hours last year after a bomb threat that turned out to be a false alarm.
(Reporting by Saul Hudson; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
