A British man has pleaded guilty to making a bomb hoax onboard an Etihad Airways flight that was diverted under fighter jet escort.
James Glen, 37, appeared before Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court, following the mid-air incident on Monday that led to the flight being diverted to Stansted Airport.
Glen, who was "intoxicated", told a flight attendant that a fellow passenger had a gun and had "threatened to blow himself up", the court was told.
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Two RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled from a nearby military base to accompany the aircraft before it landed shortly after midday.
The Heathrow-bound flight, which had 163 passengers and 15 crew on board, was delayed for four hours.
Vivienne Perry, prosecuting, told the court the incident had a “considerable financial cost”, including charges incurred from the RAF escort, additional fuel and the cost to other passengers who missed connecting flights from Heathrow.
"When he [Glen] was interviewed, he admitted he made up the whole story and said he does not know why he did,” she said.
Paul Cammiss, representing Glen, said he was anxious as he had not been in a plane since he moved to Australia at the age of 19.
Glen had acted in a manner “alien to him” due to the small amount of alcohol he had consumed, which had affected him more than usual due to the pressurized air in the cabin, Cammiss said.
Glen is due to appear before the same court on March 10, when he is expected to be sentenced.
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