TWO men have pleaded not guilty to making false threats endangering the safety of a plane from Pakistan.

Supermarket employee Tayyab Subhani, 30, of Townley Street, Brierfield, and restaurant worker Mohammed Safdar, 41, of Hallam Crescent, Nelson, were remanded for trial until 11 November at Chelmsford Crown Court.

When they appeared at the court Judge Christopher Ball QC continued bail for Subhani. Conditional bail was also granted to Safdar.

Both men have denied communicating false information on May 24 that the crew and passengers would be killed and the aircraft blown up before landing.

The Pakistan International Airways flight PK709, carrying 308 passengers and 14 crew from Lahore to Manchester, was diverted to Stansted Airport in Essex 10 minutes before it was due to land at Manchester and during the flight to Stansted it was shadowed by an RAF Typhoon fighter jet. The alleged threats were reported by the pilot of the airliner, a Boeing 777.

Married father-of-three Safdar and part-time Burnley taxi driver Subhani - who were flying home after attending Safdar’s mother’s funeral – were arrested when armed police went on board at Stansted. The Typhoon jet had been scrambled from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

The plane landed at 2.15pm and taxied to a safe location in the segregated north side of the airport away from the main terminal building. Passengers disembarked under police escort after being told to leave their possessions behind.

They were allowed back onto the aircraft with their luggage at around midnight to continue their journey after officers working with the airport authorities had checked the airliner.