Explosives warning by airline forces Kutaisi-Barcelona flight back to airport

A Wizz Air flight from Kutaisi in western Georgia to Barcelona in Spain was on Wednesday forced into abortive landing after the airline contacted law enforcement with concerns about potential explosives onboard.

The Kutaisi International Airport said the crew of the Hungarian airline had turned back the jet following the call. 

It added “all necessary agencies” were on site for further inquiry. 

Irakli Karkashadze, the Director of the United Airports of Georgia, reaffirmed with the press “all necessary agencies have been informed, and efforts are underway” over the potential presence of explosives onboard. 

Approximately 5-10 minutes after takeoff, our operations service received notification from the crew that they were urgently returning to Kutaisi International Airport due to information over a potential explosive substance onboard. Following standard procedures, relevant services were mobilised. The aircraft landed at Kutaisi Airport, and passengers were immediately evacuated”, he said. 

The official further noted “all relevant authorities have been informed of the situation”, and they were expecting the outcomes after the completion of all mandatory procedures.