Saudi Airliner makes emergency landing at Sanaa Airport

Jeddah, March 16, SPA -- A Saudi Boeing 777 (Flight No. 477) made an
emergency landing this morning after taking off from King Abdulaziz
International Airport in Jeddah for Johannesburg on its scheduled
international flight at (04:30 am local time).

In a press statement today, the General Authority for Civil Aviation
(GACA) said that the flight No 477 while over flying 'PARIM' located
between the territory of Yemen and Addis Ababa airspace, the crew at
05:47 informed air traffic control at Sana’a International Airport of
a fire that ignited in the luggage area of the plane, declared a
state of emergency and requested for emergency landing at Sana'a
airport at 05:47 and that the Sana’a Airport responded (to the
request) and declared a state of emergency. The plane, then, landed
safely at the airport in Sana’a at 06:30, the statement said.


The GACA noted that after the plane stopped at the allocated
location,
the 98 passengers including the crew on board were taken to the
airport terminal in a normal manner.


According to preliminary information, it was clear from the
examination of the plane that its was a false alarm, and as a
precautionary measure, Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) has sent a
substitute plane to transfer passengers from Sana'a to Johannesburg,
CAGA said.

--SPA