However, after a thorough search of the plane, authorities at the Tribhuvan International Airport here said that it was a hoax. “Nothing was found during the security check and the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, has been cleared for flight,” a SpiceJet spokesperson said in New Delhi. The flight SG-042 was delayed for about four hour due to the threat.

The aircraft with 173 passengers and 6 crew members was ready for take off for Delhi from Kathmandu airport at 1030 am. All the passengers were evacuated after one of them reported that there was a bomb inside the aircraft at the time it was about to take off at 10 am, said an official at the airport’s Rescue Coordination Committee.

The plane was isolated and security personnel conducted thorough checking of the aircraft for more than three hours after the bomb threat was reported.