Pakistan-Dubai flight evacuated over bomb hoax

An Airbus airplane which was due to fly from Pakistan to Dubai on Thursday was evacuated after a bomb threat, it has been reported.

The hoax forced Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to evacuate 157 passengers and 10 crew from an Airbus preparing to take off for Dubai.

The plane was preparing for its scheduled departure from Lahore airport when an anonymous caller to the airport claimed there was a bomb on board, PIA spokesman Sultan Hasan told AFP.

Airport security officials evacuated the A310 to search the aircraft, Hasan said.

Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Pervez George said all threats had to be taken seriously although most turned out to be hoaxes.

Pakistan's aviation industry has been in the spotlight after a Boeing 737 of private airline Bhoja Air crashed near Islamabad on April 20, killing all 127 people on board.

Last month, a PIA jet was forced to land shortly after takeoff from Karachi after a passenger made a hijack threat.

No bomb was found and the plane took off and landed safely in Dubai.