A pilot taxis a Westjet Boeing 737-700 plane to a gate after arriving at Vancouver International Airport in on Feb. 3.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Manitoba RCMP are investigating after someone threatened a Westjet flight, forcing an emergency evacuation in Winnipeg which injured six passengers.
Sgt. Bert Paquet said the call involved Flight WS422 en route from Edmonton to Toronto Monday evening. He wouldn't specify the nature of the threat.
"(The threat) came from outside the plane or the flight itself and we are looking to establish the origin of the call and the person responsible for it," he said Tuesday.
The plane, passengers and baggage were searched by explosive experts and an RCMP canine unit, Paquet said. Nothing suspicious was found.
It's the third threat involving a flight in the last week. RCMP were working with other police agencies to determine if the incidents are related, Paquet said.
WestJet said the six passengers who were hurt sustained minor injuries. The company said all 54 passengers and five crew on the flight were evacuated from the plane shortly after landing.
"The flight crew, in conjunction with our Operations Control Centre, made the decision to divert the aircraft to Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport," Robert Palmer, a spokesman for the company, said in an emailed statement.
"In order to evacuate the aircraft as quickly as possible, the crew made the decision to deploy the emergency evacuation slides.
"A number were taken to hospital for further treatment accompanied by members of WestJet's Special Assistance Team."
The company said passengers were put up in hotels for the night and took flights to Toronto Tuesday morning.
WestJet would not provide details of the threat.
"We will not address anything that will be part of the police investigation," said Palmer.
A WestJet flight from Edmonton to Halifax landed in Saskatoon after a threat Saturday morning.
Police said a call had been made claiming an explosive device was on board, but the report turned out to be false.
Last Thursday, St. John's International Airport was temporarily closed because of a bomb threat on an Air Canada flight.
The airport authority said it took the action after Air Canada Flight 143 departing from St. John's to Ottawa was notified about a possible bomb on board as the aircraft was pulling back from the gate.
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary spokesman Steve Curnew told reporters early Friday that the flight was about to leave when a note identified as a possible bomb threat was found in one of the plane's washrooms.
Nothing suspicious was found in a search of the plane.