An airplane of Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA) made an emergency landing at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome, Italy, escorted by two Italian warplanes, Italian authorities said Sunday.
Emergency was called after finding an unclaimed suitcase onboard of the plane while crossing the Italian airspace, forcing air traffic to halt activity for over four hours, airport authorities said in a statement.
Passengers of the Airbus 320, all 118 of them, as well as its seven crew members were taken out of the plane by Italian security authorities to a free zone for precise check and inspection procedures, the statement said, adding that no threats were detected onboard.
Meanwhile, MEA stated that its plane made an emergency landing over a missing passenger onboard, despite completing all his boarding procedures in Geneva.
The Company also denied media reports that the emergency landing was due to a suspected bomb in the plane, noting that "after thorough inspection of the plane by Italian authorities; no evidence of any bomb was detected.
"The plane has taken off again a while ago, continuing its route to Beirut," MEA said.