Air China flight to New York turns back to Beijing after 'threat'

An Air China flight bound for New York was forced to return to Beijing more than three hours into its journey yesterday after a "threatening message" was received, the airline and state media said.

Air China flight 981 returned to the Beijing Capital International Airport to "guarantee passenger safety", the airline said in a brief statement on its official microblog after the flight landed.

Xinhua said police were still investigating. Officials gave no details of the nature of the threat and did not say if it was genuine or a hoax. The incident comes at a sensitive time, ahead of a Communist Party congress this autumn at which a 10-yearly leadership change will occur.

The flight originally took off at 1pm. It landed back in the capital at 8.26pm.

News portal Sina quoted passengers on board as saying the pilot informed passengers of the threatening message only shortly before it landed, but that the atmosphere on board was calm.

Internet users, including some of the flight's passengers, posted photos on their microblogs showing dozens of security personnel searching passengers and their luggage on the airport apron.