Mumbai: An Emirates flight from Mumbai to Dubai was grounded for fours hours after a man told the airline a passenger on board was a terrorist.
The passenger and his wife were detained and Emirates Airlines flight EK 505 with 356 passengers left at 1404 hours for Dubai after security clearance.
A man who identified himself as Suresh Chavan told the airline that a passenger called Shahbaz Khan was an “al-Qaeda terrorist”, said police.
"Chavan called the cargo supervisor of the Emirates flight claiming that he overheard someone saying Shahbaz was a terrorist," said police.
The aircraft was pushed back to the runway at 0959 hours when the air traffic control informed the airport about a security hazard on board.
Emirates Airlines said it "can confirm that its flight EK 505 (Mumbai-Dubai) was called back by Mumbai's Air Traffic Control before departure. A male passenger and his wife have been handed over to the local Mumbai police authorities for questioning".
A senior police officer said: "the male passenger is Shahbaz Khan. Shahbaz and his wife were detained. Since the woman is a heart patient, she has been sent back home. We are questioning Shahbaz".
All passengers were asked to leave the plan and their baggage and the aircraft was checked again, Emirates said.
"The airline is extending full cooperation during this period. After receiving clearance from the ATC, the aircraft has departed Mumbai with all remaining passengers. Emirates regrets the inconvenience caused," it said.
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