ATHENS (Reuters) - An Aeroflot flight from Athens to Moscow turned back in mid-air on Monday after receiving an anonymous bomb warning, but the plane landed safely and all the passengers were disembarked, airport officials said.
The Airbus A-319 with 49 passengers onboard had been flying for around an hour when it received news of the bomb threat, said Aeroflot spokeswoman Irina Dannenberg in Moscow.
Greek aviation officials said the plane was being thoroughly checked for explosives.
"An unknown man called and said there was a bomb on the Aeroflot plane headed from Athens to Moscow," a Greek civil aviation official told Reuters.
"We told the pilot to return to Athens for the appropriate checks. The plane was near the border with Turkey at the time."
(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas and Tatiana Fragou)
A file photo of an Aeroflot A319
Aeroflot Flight 296 has returned to Greece after a bomb threat was received during a flight from Athens to Moscow, Russia.

Greek authorities told the Airbus A319's flight crew to return the jet to Athens International Airport after the airport was told by an anonymous telephone caller that a bomb was on the flight. The airliner reached an area close to the Turkish border when word was received and the aircraft turned around.

At 12:18 GMT, the aircraft performed a safe landing at Athens, and all 49 passengers were evacuated safely. Local authorities then searched the aircraft, but no bomb was found.