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Passengers on Singapore Airlines flight SQ33, which was delayed after a bomb hoax, remained calm even as fighter jets escorted the Airbus A350-941 to Changi Airport early on Wednesday.
The pilot had earlier announced over the intercom that there was an unruly passenger onboard that needed attention.
A netizen who goes by the name Vera, who she was a passenger on the plane, tweeted at 10.25am: "This guy yelled at the back of airplane saying there is a bomb."
Flight SQ33, which left San Francisco at 10.26pm on Monday (Tuesday, 1.26pm Singapore time), was supposed to land at Changi Airport at around 5am on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old foreign national was arrested by the police after the aircraft, with 209 passengers and 17 crew members onboard, landed at Changi Airport at 5.50am.
Flight data from tracking site Flightradar24 showed the plane made three loops over the South China Sea before heading for Singapore. It was escorted by two Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16 jets.
The SIA plane remained on the tarmac for over three hours as the Singapore Armed Forces' Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosives Defence Group and Airport Police Division determined if the bomb threat was real.
The authorities later confirmed that there was no bomb.
Police said preliminary investigations showed the passenger had allegedly claimed there was a bomb in a hand-carry bag and he assaulted a member of the cabin crew.
"He was restrained by the crew and subsequently arrested... for suspected consumption of controlled drugs. Police investigations are ongoing," they added.
The Straits Times
