An airline in Vietnam had to delay a flight for hours following a false bomb alert by a passenger when he was ready to board a plane on Thursday.

A Vietjet Air airline (VJA) flight bound for the central province of Khanh Hoa was postponed for over three hours at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi after a passenger made a bomb joke as he was about to board the aircraft.

>> Vietnam man gets 6-month flight ban for bomb joke >> Bomb joke: Administrative or criminal case? >> Petty jokes about bombs at Vietnam Airlines

The passenger, hailing from Hanoi’s Son Tay District, was fined for VND50 million (US$2,360), for his joke.

According to a report by the flight VJ8571 crew, when an attendant was checking the passenger’s boarding pass, he joked to her that there was a bomb in his carry-on bag. The man still said the same thing after he was requested to repeat what he had said earlier.

After being informed of the incident, the low-cost carrier’s pilot aborted the flight that was scheduled to take off at 6:50 am and called for assistance. However, the security officers at the airport found no bomb or explosive in his bag.

A VJA representative told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the flight left the airport for Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa’s provincial capital, at 10:00 am this morning, more than three hours late.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, passengers who make false claims that endanger aviation safety will be punishable by fines in cash worth VND50 million ($2,360) at the maximum. Additionally, they could receive a flight ban and/or are forced to settle the consequences. 

In early March this year, a Hanoi man was given a six-month flight ban and a cash fine after he joked that there was a bomb in his luggage while he was about to board a Vietjet Air plane in central Vietnam.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!