Saudia Airlines plane makes emergency landing in Indonesia following bomb threat

JAKARTA: A Saudia Airlines aircraft reportedly carrying hundreds of Haj pilgrims made an emergency landing at Kualanamu International Airport, North Sumatra on Tuesday (June 17) following a bomb threat, according to local media.
The aircraft, which was on its journey from Jeddah to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, was diverted to Deli Serdang after the pilot received information regarding possible explosives onboard.
"The vessel made an emergency landing due to a bomb threat received by the pilot, who then decided immediately to land,' said North Sumatera Police spokesperson, Commissioner Ferry Walintukan, as quoted by Kompas.com.
The passenger manifest of the Saudia flight SV-5726 that landed at around 10.44am local time has yet to be confirmed. However, local authorities have informed that all passengers have been safely evacuated.
A police bomb disposal team was deployed to conduct an inspection of the aircraft.
Following the incident, Indonesian airport operator PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia (InJourney Airports) activated contingency procedures for handling security threats.
Group Acting Corporate Secretary Anak Agung Ngurah Pranajaya said Kualanamu International Airport was the nearest airport when the aircraft was in Indonesian airspace.
"Our priority at all times is the safety and wellbeing of all passengers and airport users,' he said in a statement. - Bernama

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Star

18 hours ago

• The Star

Chinese tourist drowns off Indonesia's pink beach after skipping life jacket to pose for camera

Famous for its pink sand, Long Beach is a popular dive site located in the Padar Island within the national park. - Komodo Tour Boat website via ST/ANN JAKARTA: A Chinese tourist drowned while swimming off Long Beach at Indonesia's Komodo National Park on June 18, after reportedly ignoring safety advice to wear a life jacket. The victim, identified by local media as Qiu Yan, 30, had been part of a tour group visiting the national park — a cluster of islands in East Nusa Tenggara province, known for its rugged beauty and its population of Komodo dragons. Long Beach is a popular dive site located in the Padar Island within the national park. It is famous for its pink sand that gets its unique colour from red marine microscopic organisms called foraminifera. According to a statement from the West Manggarai police, Qiu entered the sea without a life jacket despite being cautioned by her guide. 'She was reminded to use one before going into the water, but she refused,' said police spokesman Hery Suryana in comments shared with an Indonesian news site, on June 19. Qiu had been travelling with ten others on a liveaboard tour. Her tour guide Anselmus Raden, 24, recounted that she wanted to take pictures before putting on the life jacket. 'We had told her to wear it, but she said she just wanted to pose for photos first,' he said. Moments later, others in the group raised the alarm that she had gone under. 'There was foam and blood coming from her mouth and nose,' said Hery. Qiu was transported to the Komodo Health Centre, but despite efforts by medical staff to resuscitate her, she was pronounced dead. Police said the cause of death was likely due to significant water entering her lungs. A rescue team later transported her body to Komodo Regional General Hospital in Labuan Bajo - the main entry point to Komodo National Park - using a rigid inflatable boat and a fast boat provided by the local port authority. Qiu had been on a three-day tour, which had set off from Nusantara Port on June 17. Authorities have since reiterated the need for strict adherence to safety protocols during marine tourism activities in the park. - The Straits Times/ANN

Malaysia Sun

a day ago

• Malaysia Sun

Roundup: Indonesia ramps up global tourism promotion to attract more int'l tourists

JAKARTA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia is strengthening its promotional efforts to tap into the growing global tourist market, as the Southeast Asian archipelago continues to struggle to catch up with neighboring countries in attracting international visitors. Last year, Indonesia received around 14 million foreign tourists, while Singapore welcomed 16.5 million, Malaysia 25 million, Vietnam 17.6 million, and Thailand 35.5 million. According to data from Statistics Indonesia, the majority of foreign tourists in 2024 came from Malaysia, followed by Australia, Singapore, China, and Timor-Leste. This year, the country is targeting 14 to 16 million foreign tourist arrivals to boost foreign exchange and encourage economic growth through the tourism sector. Several popular tourist destinations in Indonesia, including the island resort of Bali, the Borobudur Temple in Central Java, and Raja Ampat in the easternmost region of Papua, all offer stunning views. Meanwhile, some of the leading entry points for foreign tourists to Indonesia are Batam in the Riau Islands Province, located near Singapore and Malaysia, as well as Bali and Jakarta. In a bid to increase the global competitiveness of Indonesian tourism, Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said recently that the government is committed to further strengthening its promotional efforts in international markets. Moreover, the ministry has undertaken several diplomatic initiatives to boost the country's tourism industry. Late last month, Indonesia's Tourism Ministry and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation. "The MoU is expected to increase the exchange of visits between the two countries, specifically through facilitating promotional activities carried out by the government and business actors," Wardhana said last week at the ministry. She added that advancing the Indonesian tourism industry requires a strong spirit of collaboration and collective commitment among ministries, institutions, and friendly countries, with the hope that tourism can become an economic and social force that benefits the entire community. Indonesia also held bilateral meetings with several countries during the 123rd session of the UN Tourism Executive Council, which took place in Spain late last month. The ministry discussed collaboration opportunities with several nations, including Spain, India, Mexico, and Tunisia, during the forum. "We will continue to move forward with the principles of sustainability, inclusiveness, and global competitiveness, while ensuring that the growth of this sector aligns with efforts to preserve culture and the environment," she added.

The Star

2 days ago

• The Star

Flights to Indonesia's Bali resume after disruption by volcano eruption

Passengers look at electronic boards displaying cancelled flights after the nearby Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano erupted, at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Tuban near Denpasar, on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on June 18, 2025. Dozens of flights to and from Indonesia's resort island of Bali were cancelled on June 18. - AFP JAKARTA: All flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali resumed on Thursday (June 19) after being cancelled or delayed due to eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, officials said. Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, located in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash 11km (7 miles) high. Eighty-seven flights to and from Bali, consisting of 66 international and 21 domestic flights, were affected on Wednesday by the eruption, the Bali airport operator said in a statement. These included connections to Australia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. On Thursday, flights from Bali departed on schedule to Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and China, Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi, an official at Bali airport, said in a statement. These flights were operated by airlines including Malaysia Airlines, Virgin Australia, JetStar and Singapore Airlines, Asmadi added. "Until now, all the operations have been running smoothly, both departures and arrivals," Asmadi said. Flights operated by Qantas and its low-cost carrier JetStar were scheduled to operate as normal on Thursday, the company said. A number of flights operated by AirAsia Malaysia and AirAsia Indonesia to and from Bali, Lombok and Labuan Bajo, which were cancelled since Wednesday, have also resumed, the airline said. Two airports in East Nusa Tenggara province reopened on Thursday after being temporarily closed on Wednesday. However, authorities extended the closure of Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere until Friday as there was still some volcanic ash in the air posing a risk to flights, the airport's operator said in a post on social media. Dozens of residents living in three villages nearest to the volcano have been evacuated, the local disaster mitigation agency said. According to Indonesia's volcanology agency, Lewotobi has erupted 427 times this year. Tuesday's eruption is the largest since November last year when it erupted several times, and killed at least 9 people. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates. Reuters