Flight enroute to Mexico from Minneapolis diverted to Texas over security concern

A flight was diverted due to a security concern on Wednesday afternoon after it took off from Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) International Airport, officials informed. The flight belonged to Sun Country Airlines. The airline said that Flight SY593, which was headed for the Mazatlan International Airport in Mexico from MSP, was diverted "out of an abundance of caution in response to a security concern", according to CBS News.

Flight diverted to Texas

The flight was diverted to Texas's El Paso International Airport. It was reportedly carrying 150 passengers, with four cabin crew members and two pilots also among those onboard. The airline said all the passengers deboarded the plane, a Boeing 737-800, safely after it landed in Texas. Sun Country also emphasised that the landing was made without any incident onboard.

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What the FBI said

"We apologise to our passengers and all those affected by this situation, but safety and security are our highest priorities," the company said in an official statement. While the FBI confirmed that its personnel were rushed to the scene at the El Paso airport and that they were assisting in the probe, the agency could not provide any details about what exactly happened, as per CBS News.

Recent security scare incidents

Last month, on February 7, a bomb scare arising from the name of a WiFi hotspot reportedly sparked alarm among the crew of an American Airlines flight. The flight's take-off from Austin in Texas was delayed as a result. As per a report by ABC News, the flight was headed for Charlotte, North Carolina.

A 63-year-old passenger of the flight later told ABC News that the crew decided to return to the gate after a young man approached a flight attendant and showed her something on his tablet screen. Recalling information received from the flight crew, the senior citizen said that someone had named their WiFi hotspot "There is a bomb on the flight".

The man said none of the passengers came forward after a police officer responding to the scene sternly asked who was behind the nuisance. The passengers were later escorted off the plane in batches, he told ABC News. The passengers had to show the names of their hotspots to the officers present there, he added.

In another incident concerning an American Airlines flight last month, a Boeing 787 enroute to India from New York was escorted by fighter jets to the Rome airport. The measure was followed after a bomb threat to the flight.

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FAQs

Where was the Sun Country Airlines flight SY593 diverted to after taking off on Wednesday?
The Sun Country Airlines's flight SY593 was diverted to the El Paso International Airport in Texas after taking off from MSP on Wednesday.


What are some other aircraft security scare incidents reportedly recently?
Last month, an American Airlines flight faced a delay in taking off from Austin after a WiFi hotspot's name reportedly triggered a panic among the flight crew. In another incident same month, another American Airlines flight headed for India from New York was escorted by fighter jets to the airport in Rome