An unidentified object postponed the flight of a Turkish passenger jet from Cairo airport on Saturday, Turkish news agency Anadolu (AA) reported.
The object was reported to the airport authorities as “suspicious” by the captain of Turkish Airlines flight number 693 after it was found in a luggage compartment a few minutes before take-off. The flight was postponed for about five hours.
The plane was reportedly taken to the aircraft hijacking location to be fully inspected, while the passengers’ luggage was also inspected.
“The object was an empty plastic box that one of the passengers possibly forgot,” a Cairo airport official told AA.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian military helicopter crashed in farmland between Cairo and Ismailia on Saturday morning, injuring the crew. The helicopter, which was taking part in reconnaisance operations, crashed due to sudden technical error, according to officials.
Egyptian authorities stepped-up security measures at airports after the downing of a Russian passenger jet over Sinai on 31 October. All crew and passengers on board were killed, and the incident had a profound impact on the Egyptian tourism sector.
According to Russia’s Federal Security Service director, Aleksandr Bortnikov, traces of a homemade explosive device containing 1kg of TNT were found in the wreckage of the Russian plane.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said security measures had been reviewed in all Egyptian airports in the past few months.
