No suspect was identified for the bomb threat aboard a Flair flight from Edmonton to Vancouver last week, according to Richmond RCMP.
Passengers on Flair Flight 2799 were held on the plane for more than two hours in the early hours of New Year’s Eve after a bomb threat was sent anonymously to some on board via AirDrop.
They were finally allowed to get off the plane at around 2:15 a.m. after Richmond RCMP attended the scene.
A recording of a radio transmission from the flight was captured by ScanBC and sent to the media at the time.
“For info, we have had a number of passengers with phones on board that received an AirDrop of a bomb device on board,” the pilot had said in the recording. He added that while he didn’t have “much faith in (the AirDropped threat),” it was being taken seriously.
(Click on audio recording above to listen to pilot calling in the apparent bomb threat)
Police have now confirmed that the threat was “not credible,” and passengers and the airline were not at risk.
Cpl. Adriana O’Malley, Richmond RCMP spokesperson, told the Richmond News the AirDropped threat was “a completely callous and senseless act.”
“While we were able to establish this was not a credible threat, the impact to those involved was significant,” she said. “Imagine the level of stress and anxiety this created for passengers and airline staff.”
She also advised community members to check their phone settings to avoid receiving anonymous AirDropped messages.
Those with information about the incident are encouraged to contact Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212 or email [email protected].
