The flight from Ponta Delgada to Bilbao, Spain, was supposed to be routine. Instead, flight S4 504 took an unexpected turn this Saturday morning. A bomb threat forced its pilots to make an emergency landing at Lisbon Airport. The good news came quickly: the Azorean airline, SATA Azores Airlines, confirmed it was a “false alarm.”
Following this unsettling false alarm, two passengers were detained. Police took them in for questioning. Authorities suspect they were responsible for making the threat. SATA Azores Airlines shared this update in a statement released around 3:30 PM. The Lusa news agency later questioned the Public Security Police (PSP) about the incident. However, the PSP did not provide any further information.
SATA Azores Airlines confirmed the bomb threat did not check out. Competent authorities conducted a thorough inspection. They rigorously checked both the aircraft and all luggage. No threat was validated. The plane was then guided to an isolated and secure zone at Lisbon Airport. This allowed everyone aboard, passengers and crew, to disembark calmly and safely.
The airline had announced the flight’s diversion to Lisbon Airport earlier, around 2:40 PM. The plane landed safely at approximately 12:00 PM. They are currently providing support and assistance to all passengers affected by this event. The airline waits for the process to finish. They hope the aircraft can resume operation as soon as possible.
The disruption was contained to the flight to and from Bilbao. All other operations for the day remained on schedule, as planned. The Lisbon Fire Brigade reported receiving an alert at 12:32 PM. They quickly sent resources to the scene. Around 3:00 PM, the PSP told Lusa that “procedures are still being formalized.” They did not say if it was a false bomb threat or if work was still ongoing at the site.
SATA Azores Airlines strongly emphasized passenger and employee safety is their absolute top priority. They expressed regret for the problems this situation caused. The company stressed the incident was “totally unrelated to the company” itself.