False bomb scare grounds Thai Airways plane in Stockholm

A plane bound for Thailand was set to resume its flight from Stockholm on Friday after a bomb threat delayed the flight originally scheduled for a day earlier.

Thai Airways confirmed that its plane was ready to depart Stockholm after Swedish authorities found no trace of explosives.

Flight TG963 bound for Thailand’s southern resort city of Phuket was stopped late Thursday when it just left the gate.

Almost 300 passengers on the Thai Airways plane had to disembark and police temporarily closed off two gates. Initially, travellers were told there was a technical fault, passenger Ulrika Sten was quoted as telling the online edition of Stockholm daily Svenska Dagbladet.

The plane had been moved to a different part of the airport where bomb disposal experts were to inspect it, police said.

“Passengers have been well taken care of and checked into a hotel awaiting the new flight,’’ read the airline’s statement.

Another prominent former palace aide, Jumpol Manmai, who was dismissed for gross disciplinary misconduct on Tuesday, was charged on Thursday with unauthorised building on protected forest land. Jumpol did not face a lese majesty charge.