Philippines airport bomb threats ‘likely a hoax’, aviation security boss says
- The country’s civil aviation authority said the warning claimed bombs could go off on flights heading to Cebu, Bicol, Davao and Palawan
- The transport minister said the security measures won’t impact any scheduled departures
An anonymous warning that bombs could go off on planes heading out of the airport in the Philippine capital Manila was “most likely a hoax,” the chief of the country’s aviation security group said on Friday.
“Airport operation is continuous, it’s normal,” the group’s director Jack Wanky added.
“Immediate enhanced security measures” were being implemented at 42 commercial airports across the country, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said in a media advisory, adding the warnings were being verified.
The warning had been sent by email to air traffic services about a threat to flights out of the capital Manila headed to Davao, Bicol and the popular tourist regions of Palawan and Cebu.
“While the information is currently under validation, immediate enhanced security measures are being implemented across all airports,” CAAP said.
CAAP did not say when the warning was made.
