Bomb threat on Ottawa-bound flight shuts down St. John's airport

St. John's International Airport is back to normal after it was temporarily closed to air traffic because of a bomb threat on an Ottawa-bound flight.

Just before 7 p.m. local time yesterday, Air Canada Flight 143 from St. John's to Ottawa was leaving the gate when officials were notified about a possible bomb on board.

The Embraer 190 jet carrying 82 passengers and four crew was brought back to the gate and all passengers departed safely.

The plane landed in Ottawa at 2:21 a.m. EDT.

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary spokesman Steve Curnew says a note identified as a possible bomb threat was found in one of the plane's washrooms.

He says the plane was thoroughly searched but nothing suspicious was found on board.

Curnew did not offer details about the note, saying it's evidence, but said three women from St. John's who had used the washroom were questioned by police and released.

The airport authority says the closure impacted 13 arriving flights, including three aircraft that had already arrived but were held at a secure area of the airfield.

An all-clear announcement was made just after 11:30 p.m. local time, almost five hours after the airport was notified of the threat.