American authorities are investigating a threat made aboard an Air Canada flight from Halifax to Newark, New Jersey, earlier this week.
The Feb. 19 Air Canada flight from Halifax Stanfield International Airport arrived safely in Newark but was delayed 90 minutes, according to data from FlightStats, a global flight tracker.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in an emailed statement it received a report of a threat made against the flight at noon that day.
“The plane landed at EWR Terminal A without incident, and all passengers have deplaned safely with no reported injuries,” the statement said.
The Port Authority Police Department and its canine unit cleared the plane as safe “and normal operations resumed” a little more than an hour after its 1:40 p.m. arrival in New Jersey, authorities said.
Photos obtained by Global News from a passenger aboard the aircraft showed a number of emergency vehicles on the runway as well as passengers waiting to be taken to the airport by bus.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in a statement that while it was aware of the incident on the Air Canada flight, it did not fall under the criteria that necessitated an investigation by the TSB.
“From the information provided to the TSB it does not meet the definition of a reportable incident in accordance with the Transportation Safety Board Regulations,” the emailed statement said. “This is a security issue that would be investigated by police.”
A spokesperson for the Halifax Stanfield International Airport told Global News the airport did not receive any threats about the flight and it had not been contacted by U.S. law enforcement about the matter.
The Epoch Times contacted Air Canada for comment but did not hear back by press time.
This is not the first time this year that Atlantic Canada air travel has been targeted by threats from an unknown source.
St. John’s International Airport received a bomb threat Jan. 12 that suspended all flight activity for several hours.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary deemed the threat to be “non-credible” after officers performed a thorough sweep of the airport.
It was the second time the airport was forced to shut down for a police investigation since last December. The airport was also closed briefly in the early morning hours of Dec. 7 so police could investigate a suspicious package.
