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. Helen

    lib4aclu
    stop the lameness.
    if you are going to make a comment, think of something original

    May 15, 2010 at 9:50 pm | Report abuse |
  2. lib4aclu

    Eager beaver I know. Still smarting from the last quip, eh?

    May 15, 2010 at 9:51 pm | Report abuse |
  3. TJT

    Hi,
    I don't usually make comment on this things. but lib4aclu
    what up?
    maybe you should trade your keyboard in for a crayon.

    May 15, 2010 at 9:52 pm | Report abuse |
  4. lib4aclu

    Helen Sort of like YOU, huh?

    May 15, 2010 at 9:52 pm | Report abuse |
  5. lib4aclu

    TJT If I do, I am sure I can get pointers from you on how to use it.

    May 15, 2010 at 9:53 pm | Report abuse |
  6. mike

    Actually, the jets were scrambled from Comox. That's on Vancouver Island.

    May 15, 2010 at 9:55 pm | Report abuse |
  7. TJT

    I spoke my word. good night and good luck.

    May 15, 2010 at 9:55 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Helen

    Hope your mother doesent know that you speak to others like this.

    May 15, 2010 at 9:56 pm | Report abuse |
  9. lib4aclu

    Helen Don't be a hypocrite.

    May 15, 2010 at 9:57 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Helen

    I'm with TJT.
    you are a lost cause.
    good luck.
    hope this pays well for you.

    May 15, 2010 at 9:58 pm | Report abuse |
  11. lib4aclu

    Well. I guess I ran them all off with my sharp crayon.

    May 15, 2010 at 10:23 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Frank Rizzo

    Ok, what exactly was the point of a fighter jet escort in response to a bomb threat? If there's a bomb, the plane blows up and falls out of the sky. No fighter jet required. As it turns out, there was no bomb and the plane landed safely. Again, no fighter jet required. Once again the government needs to appear to be "doing something" even when it is a waste of time and money.

    May 15, 2010 at 11:07 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Gill Avila

    It was probably threatened by UFO's.

    May 15, 2010 at 11:08 pm | Report abuse |
  14. Bobloblaw

    Apparently the fighters were called from duty over Quebec, the great Iran of the north?

    May 16, 2010 at 12:11 am | Report abuse |
  15. Bobloblaw

    and hey, I know Cathy Pacifc, she used to buy her fart spray with foodstamps from Sarah Palin

    May 16, 2010 at 12:15 am | Report abuse |
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