Qantas flight security scare

January 03, 2003
A SECURITY scare has delayed a Qantas flight at Sydney International Airport.

The incident occurred while the empty plane was on the tarmac being examined for a technical glitch which had originally delayed the flight, a Qantas spokesman said.

Qantas flight QF5 bound for Singapore and then Frankfurt was due to leave Sydney’s International airport at 5pm (AEDT) but a technical glitch grounded the plane for two and a half hours, the spokesman said.

During the time the plane was grounded there was an incident which the airline described as a “security issue”.

“There was a security issue with one of our flights this evening, this has lead to a delay with that flight,” the spokesman said.

“It’s being fully investigated by the relevant authorities.”

NSW Police refused to comment on the incident.

The passengers due to leave Sydney aboard the flight were taken from the plane during the time the technical fault was being fixed, the spokesman said.

He said the plane was undamaged in the incident