A passenger who made a fake bomb threat on a flight from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Şanlıurfa, southeastern Türkiye, has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison. The sentence is pending appeal, and the passenger will serve time only if it is upheld by a higher court.
The incident occurred on Feb. 9, 2026, as two sisters boarded an AJet flight VF 3222, one of the sisters allegedly pointed at her sibling and told a flight attendant, “This is a suicide bomber, don’t let her on the plane.”
Security procedures were immediately activated, and authorities conducted a full bomb search on the aircraft. All passengers were removed from the plane, and the two sisters were taken into custody.
No explosives were found during the search, but the flight experienced a three-hour delay, causing significant inconvenience to other passengers.
Both sisters told authorities they were joking and did not have any explosives. They were released under judicial control after giving their statements. The airline also banned the passengers from flying for one year.
The case was brought to court because the act falls under offenses that are not subject to private complaint. The indictment cites Article 223, paragraph 3, of the Turkish Penal Code, which covers obstruction, hijacking, or detention of transportation vehicles.
The law prescribes prison terms ranging from five to 10 years for unlawfully obstructing the operation of an air transport vehicle, and seven to 12 years if the vehicle is diverted from its intended destination.
At the first hearing at the Istanbul Anadolu Courthouse, the court sentenced the passenger to four years and two months in prison for “obstructing the operation of an air transport vehicle.”
The airline has also signaled it may pursue civil action due to the flight delay, passenger inconvenience and resulting commercial losses.
