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A Tigerair flight from Sydney to Melbourne turned back – and passengers ended up spending hours on the tarmac in Sydney – following a mystery threat.

Tigerair flight TT271 to Melbourne left Sydney about 7pm on Monday night. The flight was well underway when the captain decided to head back to Sydney “after a threat was received by the crew”.

No details have been given about the nature of the threat, but the Sydney Morning Herald reported that after Australian Federal Police officers met the plane on the Sydney Airport tarmac about 8.30pm, passengers stayed on the plane with their phones turned off for several hours while police investigated.

Passengers told Nine News they received little information about the threat or the disruption it caused.

“We saw all the emergency vehicles coming in and surrounding the plane, but other than that they gave us no information. There was no panic or anything like that,” a woman said.

In past incidents involving other airlines, threats have sometimes involved notes left on seats, or written on walls or mirrors in toilets, often mentioning bombs. There’s no indication whether anything like that was the case in the Tigerair incident, as the airline and the authorities are saying nothing. The police investigation continues.

Tigerair said it was working with the relevant authorities to investigate but could make no further comment as “the matter is now in the hands of the police”.

The airline added the customary statement: “The safety of our crew and guests is always our highest priority.”

Written by Peter Needham