A flight carrying hundreds of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims was diverted on Saturday following a bomb threat—the second such incident reported within a week, according to Indonesian transport and police officials.
The Saudia Airlines flight SV5688, which had departed from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and made a stopover in Muscat, Oman, was en route to Surabaya on Indonesia’s main island, Java. However, air traffic control in Jakarta received a phone call warning of a bomb on board, prompting immediate precautionary measures.
The aircraft was rerouted to Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, located on Sumatra island, where it landed safely Saturday morning. Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed the diversion in a public statement.
Airport operations continued uninterrupted as security personnel conducted a thorough inspection of the aircraft. According to regional airport authority head Asri Santosa, all 376 passengers—Hajj pilgrims from Java—and 13 crew members disembarked safely. No injuries were reported.
North Sumatra police spokesperson Ferry Walintukan confirmed that a bomb disposal unit was deployed to sweep the aircraft as a safety measure.
The pilgrims are expected to resume their journey on Sunday, Santosa added.
This marks the second bomb threat involving returning Hajj flights in recent days. On Tuesday, a separate flight carrying 442 pilgrims from Saudi Arabia to Jakarta was also diverted to Medan after authorities received a bomb threat via email.
