Two flights operated by Pakistan International Airlines received bombs threats on Wednesday, and both landed safely, one in Turkey, the other in Malaysia. The first flight was headed for Manchester, England, when it was notified of the threat near the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, and contacted the control tower in Istanbul to seek permission for the landing, state-run Anatolia news agency reported.
PIA spokesman Mashood Tajwar confirmed the flight had received a threat and had landed. All passengers were safe. Later, a second PIA flight from Islamabad to Kuala Lumpur also received a bomb threat. It landed in Kuala Lumpur and all 176 passengers disembarked safely, said Tajwar. Tajwar did not say how the threat was delivered, but a local TV channel said it was by email.
PIA press release adds: PIA's first and foremost priority is the safety of its passengers. Two PIA international flights are being thoroughly screened and checked as a precautionary measure due to bomb threat, a PIA spokesman said. An investigation by concerned security agencies is being conducted in this regard, the spokesman concluded.