No bomb aboard Westjet flight at YXE airport

Saskatoon Police say there was no explosive device aboard a Westjet plane from Toronto after a bomb threat was called in early Tuesday evening.

Police finished their search of the plane around 5:35 a.m. Wednesday and handed it over to Westjet authorities. No arrests have been made but police continue to investigate. Police cars, ambulances, fire trucks and other airport emergency vehicles surrounded the plane throughout the night.

WestJet flight 323 was headed to Saskatoon from Toronto with 113 passengers and five crew members on board. It landed safely around 8 p.m. and was held away from the terminal. The passengers were interviewed individually and their bags were searched.

It is unclear where the threat came from or if it is related to three similar threats made to Canadian flights over the past week.

This is the second bomb threat incident at the Saskatoon Airport since Saturday, when 147 WestJet passengers were grounded on route to Edmonton. After an extensive search of the plane, no bomb was found.

An Air Canada flight was the target of a bomb threat June 25, and a WestJet flight from Edmonton to Toronto was diverted to Winnipeg on Monday. Again, no bombs were found.

RCMP said they’re working with other police agencies to find out if the incidents are related.

Despite the threat and the hold up, a couple passengers still had smiles on their faces as they exited security.

Jessica Mansell and Daithi Nolan said they didn’t even know there was a threat until they got off the plane, but had their suspicions because of the other threats this week.

“They went through a very long process of first patting us down and then patting us down again and then giving us a number on our hand, then a wristband and making us stand there forever and then putting us on a bus and the bus sat forever and then the bus came (to the terminal),” Mansell said, adding passengers weren’t able to take any bags or luggage off the plane with them.

“I give (police) seven to eight out of 10 for good work,” Nolan said.

Roberto Bacchetto was flying home to Saskatoon from Toronto. He said he wasn’t too worried because previous threats had turned out to be nothing.

“Probably just some high school kids trying to get his jollies,” he said.

-With files from Canadian Press

Emergency crews respond to bomb threat to a plane landed at YXE, the second in five days. Kelly Malone/ News Talk Radio

We've landed safely in Saskatoon #yxe Authorities are on top of the situation. #WS323 pic.twitter.com/1s6KlTWBh2

— Jordan Stone (@jordanbgs) July 1, 2015