South African police are investigating a bomb threat made against a passenger aircraft on Wednesday, October 21. The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that a FlySafair aircraft at King Phalo Airport in KuGompo City — formerly East London — landed safely following a report from an anonymous caller who allegedly claimed there was a bomb on board.
The threat targeted one of South Africa's major regional airports, which serves the Eastern Cape city and its surrounding region. Police launched their investigation after the anonymous report, and the aircraft's safe landing allowed officers to begin working through the claim and the circumstances around the call.
Hoax and anonymous bomb threats are treated as serious offences in South African aviation, where a single call can trigger emergency procedures, evacuations and sweeping delays across an airport's schedule. Investigators typically trace the call's origin while bomb specialists verify that no device exists, and callers found to have made false threats face criminal prosecution.
Authorities had not announced any arrest or confirmed any device by the time of the initial reports on Wednesday. OTMedia will update this story as SAPS and the airport release further details on the investigation and on any disruption to flights at King Phalo.
