Threat against Sydney-bound plane was a hoax, Qantas official says

Passengers and luggage were ordered removed from a Qantas airliner and its interior was searched by federal authorities Friday after a threat was made against the flight, according to officials at Los Angeles International Airport.

There were 347 passengers and 20 crew members on board the plane, which was at the gate preparing for its scheduled 10 a.m. departure to Sydney when law enforcement officials received a call saying that there was a bomb on the flight, said Laura Eimiller of the FBI.

LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles said passengers and crew were removed from the plane and they and their hand luggage were searched by Transportation Security Administration officials.

The plane itself was taken to a remote area at the west end of the airport and law enforcement agencies, headed by the FBI, continued to search it, as well as the flight’s checked luggage, Castles said. They had completed about 80% of the search by 5 p.m., Eimiller said.

Passengers spent most of the day at local hotels while the plane was being searched.

Lloyd Quartermaine, a spokesman for Qantas, said authorities had determined that the threat was a hoax. He said the plane was rescheduled to leave Los Angeles at 11 this evening.

[An earlier version of this story mistakenly reported that the passengers had been taken to hospitals.]

 cara.dimassa@latimes.com