May 15th, 2010
08:09 PM ET

Fighter jets escort plane over 'potential threat'

[Update 9:38 p.m. ET] The security issue was a bomb threat that had been called in at 10:43 a.m. (1:43 p.m. ET), Cpl. Sherrdean Turley of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told reporters outside the airport.

Read the full CNN.com story

[Update 8:28 p.m. ET] The plane, which was coming from Hong Kong, landed safely in Vancouver at 1:35 p.m. PT (4:35 p.m. ET), said Alisa Gloag, a spokeswoman for the Vancouver Airport Authority.

Passengers were deplaned and the aircraft was being towed to another area for inspection, said Gloag, who did not have information about how the threat was reported.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is investigating, Gloag said.

[Posted 8:09 p.m. ET] Two CF-18 Hornets were scrambled from a Canadian military base Saturday to escort a Cathay Pacific Airways flight into Vancouver's airport, according to an official with the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The action was taken in response to a "potential threat" to the flight, Maj. Holly Apostoliuk of NORAD told CNN.

The plane was escorted to the airport and directed to a restricted area.

No further details were immediately available.

- CNN's Greg Morrison and Nick Valencia contributed to this report.

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Filed under: Air travel • Canada
soundoff (140 Responses)
  1. Heather munro

    my best husband is a caption for Cathey, its scarey.. thank goodness this wasn't him

    May 15, 2010 at 8:56 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Bryan MacDougall

    Who gives a flying F where they came from you morons. Shut up. Amaricans already think we are stupid...don't give them proof!!

    May 15, 2010 at 8:56 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Albanoy

    by the way the jets flew from Victoria Island near Vancouver.

    May 15, 2010 at 8:57 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Heather munro

    That should have been my best friends husband!!!

    May 15, 2010 at 8:57 pm | Report abuse |
  5. lib4aclu

    I apologize for Tj Brown in advance. He is, unfortunately, typical of some of my fellow Americans who are steeped in arrogance.

    May 15, 2010 at 8:57 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Mr. Rightiswrong

    "CFB Comox serves as a forward operating base for temporary deployments of the CF-18 Hornet fighter-interceptor."

    Hey Mr. Right, for someone who lives in Comox you need to do a little more research.

    May 15, 2010 at 8:59 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Radar

    I still think we should ban Cathy Pacific and JAL until we build another transcanada railroad!
    Actually I'm from the east and could care less if Vancover or Comox or Winterpeg were traded for beads and shiny buttons!

    May 15, 2010 at 8:59 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Ben Johnson

    What do urine samples and Canadian beer have in common?
    The taste.

    May 15, 2010 at 9:00 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Radar

    Ben Johnson was set up, just like CNN. This is actually a diversion by BP to move the media away from the Gulf, and the Iraq War and the Iceland Volcano and the Cannes Film Festival, and the stupid new Robin Hood Movie and...........

    May 15, 2010 at 9:03 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Mr. Rightiswrong

    Bryan Macdougal wrote: "Amaricans already think we are stupid...don't give them proof!!"

    Well, at least the morons you see yourself as being superior to know how to spell 'Americans'. Isn't unintentional irony just the best thing ever!

    May 15, 2010 at 9:03 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Radar

    My head hurts!

    May 15, 2010 at 9:04 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Mr. Rightiswrong

    Or conversely, Radar –

    How is making love in a canoe like American beer?
    They're both f***ing near water.

    May 15, 2010 at 9:06 pm | Report abuse |
  13. lib4aclu

    Radar I will trade you Sarah Palin for beads AND shiny buttons.

    May 15, 2010 at 9:07 pm | Report abuse |
  14. eager beaver..

    hey
    lib4aclu
    leave TJ alone...
    you didn't even address my Ellana Kagan comment.

    hey, burt renyold called, he wants is mustache back from sweet Elana....
    so sweet she iz.

    May 15, 2010 at 9:08 pm | Report abuse |
  15. John

    Wow........... Canada has fighter jets? Who wuuda thought~~~

    I wonder if they are allowed to have guns on their fighter jets? Maybe a legal paper shooter that warns terrorists than something bad might happen to them and that Canada may just have to call the US Air Force if something big is to go down.

    hahahahhah

    May 15, 2010 at 9:08 pm | Report abuse |
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