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Drunken passengers cause terror alarm on Austrian Airlines flight

Xinhua, February 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Six heavily intoxicated Slovakian nationals caused a major police operation at Vienna Airport on Friday morning after threatening to blow up the plane with a bomb, the Austrian Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported.

Initially the six men, who were on the Austrian Airlines (AUA) Flight 601 from Vienna to Moscow began smoking on board the Airbus A320 plane that was due to depart at 10am.

The pilot refused to take off with them on board for safety reasons and asked them to leave the aircraft. As they were exiting one of the men shouted that they were Russian terrorists, and in the direction of the captain one yelled "if you do not take us with you we will blow up the plane."

A terror alarm was then set off, with eight airport police officers taking the men into custody and leading them off for questioning. The aircraft then departed without the six men about an hour later.

The Slovaks are facing considerable fines along with criminal prosecution due to the dangerous threats made. Despite this they were allowed to depart for Moscow on another AUA flight later in the afternoon. Enditem