On Saturday night, a passenger on Flair Airlines flight F82799 from Edmonton to Vancouver received "electronic notices of a possible threat" on his cell phone. He immediately informed the crew.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 with the registration C-FLZZ was affected. The plane was "held" on the runway between 23:44 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. local time due to the potential hazard, which authorities took very seriously as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police conducted a full investigation into the medium-haul jet.
A Flair Airlines spokesman said: "The passengers and crew disembarked after a brief investigation into suspicious activity on board the aircraft by a passenger." The passengers and crew members were not allowed to leave the Boeing 737-Max-8 until around 2:15 a.m. local time. Both the airline and the police have given the all-clear because nothing threatening was found.
“Threats of any form, real or perceived, are thoroughly investigated. The safety of the flight crew, passengers and the public is always our top priority," said a police spokesman. So far, no arrests have been made, but the executive wants to find the originator of the text messages and take appropriate action.