Alaska Airlines flight AS-334 faced an unexpected diversion to Spokane International Airport (GEG) on Wednesday, July fifth, as a consequence of a security threat onboard the aircraft. This resulted within the airport shutting down its runways as a preventive measure and stopping all flights from taking off and landing.
The flight
Flight AS-334 is a scheduled service operated by Alaska Airlines between Atlanta (ATL) and Seattle (SEA). The aircraft on the day of the incident was a Boeing 737 MAX 9. The aircraft was carrying 177 passengers and 6 crew members onboard.
The flight departed ATL at 15:40, which was quarter-hour past the scheduled departure time. As reported by KXLY, the Spokane Police were alerted of a bomb threat around 16:50, and by 17:15, the aircraft had landed safely. After landing, the aircraft taxied to a distant location of the airport, and all passengers were disembarked from the aircraft and brought to a close-by fire station.
The aircraft was checked to make sure no threat was present at its isolated location; meanwhile, it was reported that a passenger was arrested and faraway from the aircraft. The airport officials stated that the airport was closed for operations for a duration of two hours, during which era 4 flights needed to delay their departures, and 4 flights delayed their arrival.
Nonetheless, by 18:45, the airport was back operational, and the aircraft involved departed early morning the subsequent day, on July sixth, at 12:16, and landed in Seattle at 01:00.
Easy Flying has reached out to Alaska Airlines to know more about how the passengers were accommodated during this unexpected stop in Spokane and to learn more in regards to the incident. Any response from the airline will likely be updated in this text.
The protocol
As with every situation, there’s a protocol to be followed within the event of receiving a bomb threat. While pilots assess the situation and make obligatory decisions regarding diversion and emergency landings, the Air Traffic Controller of that airspace is out there for assistance too.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy Flying
While the ATC prioritizes the aircraft in potential danger and helps the pilot to get the aircraft safely on the bottom, if the crew onboard discovers any suspicious package or object, they’re to tell the captain and, following the rules and the checklists, place it within the “least-risk bomb location” that is restricted to the aircraft.
Based on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Least-Risk bomb location on the airplane is where any explosive or incendiary device needs to be placed to attenuate the results on the aircraft in case of detonation. The situation varies and is restricted to the aircraft type.
In some instances, fighter jets are scrambled to escort the aircraft in peril.
Moreover, once on the bottom, the aircraft is asked to taxi away from other aircraft, ground vehicles and terminal structures to attenuate risk within the event of an explosion. The distant location can even be away from any electrical or fuel lines to make sure that a possible explosion is not going to affect the remaining of the airport.
Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock
The ATC will likely be in command of coordinating and contacting any emergency and rescue services that could be required for the aircraft, depending on the situation. It is usually imperative that the ATC provides the flight crew with enough time to evaluate the situation inside the aircraft.