A MANCHESTER bound holiday jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Istanbul after the airline was told there was a bomb on board.

On Monday 231 passengers on the Sunways Airlines Boeing 757 - including a Golborne couple - arrived back in Manchester 32 hours behind schedule.

Their ordeal began 30 minutes into the four-hour flight from Ismir in Turkey. Air traffic controllers told the pilot to land at the nearest airport because an anonymous telephone caller had said there was a bomb on board one of the Airline's planes.

The pilot diverted to Istanbul where the aircraft was directed to a remote part of the air field and the passengers slid down emergency chutes. Minutes before landing, they had been ordered to adopt the crash landing position with their heads in their arms and between their knees.

As they arrived back in Manchester, passengers spoke of their terrifying ordeal.

Paul Chamberlain, 48, a truck driver from Golborne was returning from a two week holiday with partner, Sheila Hickey, 45. He said: "I was sitting by the exit door and forced it open when we landed.

"I was first out down the chute then everyone followed and the whole aircraft was evacuated within 90 seconds.

"We were not allowed to take any of our belongings. Everyone just ran as fast as they could into the waiting buses. We were taken to the Airport terminal where we were told about the bomb threat and then taken to hotels overnight."

A full search of the plane revealed nothing and police in Turkey have launched a hunt for the hoaxer who cost the holiday airline £250,000. Engin Julmes, managing director of the Stockholm based airline said the call could have been made by a passenger late for another flight. At the time of the alert Sunways had five other aircraft on the ground in Turkey which were all searched. No device was found on any.

The hoax warning was made in Turkish to Antalia Airport in Turkey. Mr Julmes added: "We are convinced the Manchester flight was not being specifically targeted because the police received a call stating a Sunways plane had a bomb on it without referring to a particular flight.

"We couldn't take chances with people's lives. This is the first time we have ever received a threat of this nature but we have procedures for such an occurrence and we reacted immediately.

"The only reason I can think for someone causing all this disruption and anxiety is a passenger who was late for his plane decided it was the best way it remained on the ground so he could catch it. It is a crazy thing to do. It caused a great deal of worry for the passengers and crew and it will prove extremely costly for the airline."

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