Police investigate 'potential threat' aboard Australian budget flight forced to turn back after an hour in the air
- Australian police say they're investigating a "potential threat" which forced a plane to turn around an hour after taking off.
- Tigerair flight TT271 from Sydney to Melbourne took off around 7 p.m. but landed back in Sydney at around 8 p.m.
- New South Wales police told Business Insider they were called at 8:30 p.m. local time and attended the plane with other agencies.
- A Tigerair spokesperson told the Daily Mail: "The Captain made the decision to return to Sydney following an incident onboard."
- Police and Tigerair declined to explain what exactly the threat was.
Australian police are investigating a "potential threat" aboard an Australian budget flight which forced it to turn back after an hour in the air.
New South Wales Police told Business Insider that officers were called to Sydney Airport at 8:30 p.m. local time on Monday night.
They were responding to what officers call a "potential threat" on Tigerair flight TT271 which was heading to Melbourne, a journey of around one hour and 35 minutes.
The Airbus A320 aircraft turned around mid-air and landed back in Sydney an hour after taking off, NSW police said.
A police spokesman said: "A domestic flight which left at about 7 p.m. bound to Melbourne became aware of a potential threat and as a precautionary measure the plane was turned around an landed at Sydney."
Officers said passengers were kept on the runway for several hours after the plane landed, but were allowed out around 11:30 p.m. local time. Officers said there were no arrests or injuries.
A Tigerair spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: "The Captain made the decision to return to Sydney following an incident onboard."
"In line with standard procedures, the Australian Federal Police met the aircraft on arrival."
Business Insider approached Tigerair for comment, but has yet to receive a response.