Hong Kong's second carrier has tightened security on flights to and from Taiwan after receiving a warning from the island's authorities, the airline said yesterday.
Dragonair did not reveal the contents of the message but the Apple Daily newspaper reported yesterday that the airline had received an e-mail saying a bomb would be planted on one of its flights from China to Taiwan via Hong Kong.
The newspaper also reported that a man had left a message on the Web site of Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian (
A Dragonair spokeswoman said the newspaper report was highly speculative: "There has been no specific threat of a hijack or bomb to Dragonair."
She said the airline was notified by Taiwan authorities on Dec. 31 and stepped up security as a precaution.
Hong Kong Director General of Civil Aviation Lam Kwong-yu said: "The content of the message has been reported by the press. Some people have made a threat regarding [a Dragonair] plane."
Police are investigating.
Dragonair, formally Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Ltd, is 43 percent owned by the state-backed China National Aviation Corp.
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